


Schrödinger's Space Dog

by icedsonder



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: ALSO SHIRO IS GAY BITCHES, Canon Compliant, Fix It Fic, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Post Season 6, So this is kinda like a 5+1 one thing but waaaay longer, also ps Veronica is a lesbian and loves her muslim gf very much, slowburn, some background/canon compliant Adashi for all you gays
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-06-12 19:49:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 31,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15347400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icedsonder/pseuds/icedsonder
Summary: It took everything in him to not scream when he felt something hot and wet glide up the side of his face.“What the-?!” he said as he found himself staring the bright yellow eyes of Keith’s furry companion.Lance groaned, dragging a hand through his hair. “Ugh, I just wanted to dramatically cry in peace you time travelling she-demon.” He glared at her meaningfully, but the massive animal only cocked its head to the side.Dammit that was almost endearing.“You gonna eat me now for yelling at Keith or what?” he said dully.Nyx shifted on her haunches quietly, but didn’t, in fact, eat Lance. Instead, she lowered her head and neck onto Lance’s lap, gazing attentively up at the boy with wide eyes.Lance blinked.Nyx blinked back.He let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. “Um....okay….I guess this is happening.”....In which Lance confides in a teleporting space wolf, and said teleporting space wolf helps Lance with everything else.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically, this entire thing was inspired by a tweet that suggested that Keith's dog (whomst is named Nyx bc Keith was/is a Greek myth nerd dammit) could teleport Lance to Keith at random and I saw that and went hnnnnnng let me write like 10K words of slowburn Klance fic centered on that specific idea.
> 
> P.S. I love Lance so it gets a bit character study-y at parts but I just love some depth in my characters (esp when the writers can't do it themselves woops)
> 
> EDIT: I wrote this before s7/8, hence why Cosmo is actually named Nyx and is a girl lol.

“KEITH YOU ABSOLUTE ASS!”

 

Said subject of profanity whipped around at the sudden appearance of both the blue paladin in  a mess of limbs on the ground and his enormous dog, happily trotting up to his much smaller owner. 

 

Lance winced as he stood, dusting himself off and stalking angrily towards the other boy. 

 

Keith raised a thick eyebrow. “Oh, now you’ll talk to me?”

 

“Put a sock in it mullet,” he pointed an accusatory finger at the red paladin’s monster of a pet, “This  _ thing  _ is out to kill my sweet Kaltenecker and if you don’t take care of it, I will.”

 

Keith shook his head in confusion. “Wait what? Nyx wouldn’t-”

 

“Uh well she just did!!” Lance could hear his voice getting shrill and could sense a few of the other paladins slowly looking toward the commotion, but he didn’t care. “I was just going out to gather firewood, so I left Kaltenecker out to get her graze on and I what do I come back to find? A panicked cow with space wolf about to go in for the kill!”

 

That wasn’t entirely true. Lance had returned to the campsite with firewood to find Kaltenecker still, staring thoughtfully into the brush directly in front of her. Curious, Lance began to walk closer to see what the large animal was focused so intently on only to find Keith’s enormous dog crouching low, her tail wagging vigorously back and forth. 

 

Without warning, she sprang up and began to run causing Lance to drop his firewood and sprint to save his pet from what seemed like an untimely demise. He thought to yell like a madman right before Nyx collided with the other other animal prompting the beast to stop and turn it’s massive head towards him. At this point, the blue paladin had been running full speed and the wolf’s sudden stop came just as Lance plowed into her side and suddenly-

 

“Wait a sec,” Lance paused looking around to see Kaltenecker in the distance by the pasture, “How did I get here?”

 

Keith was kneeling and scratching Nyx behind the ears. “Well she  _ can _ teleport, I thought you knew that,” he said looking up at Lance through his lashes. 

 

Lance sputtered. “Excuse me, what now? Tele-wait wait wait wait, now hold on-”

 

“Breathe Lance,” Keith said coolly.

 

“How is that possible, I don't even, did everyone else know? Am I-” he looked down and could see Keith pursing his lips together, very clearly trying to smother a smile. 

 

Lance felt a flare of irritation. “Oh this is funny, is it?”

 

Keith had the audacity to smirk. “If I’m being honest, a little,” and then, “But really Lance, I promise nothing would’ve happened.”

 

Lance snorted.

 

"I'm serious," Keith said earnestly, smiling softly as Nyx leaned into his touch, "She's pretty well behaved, and once you get to know her-" 

 

"I have no interest bonding with your wonder-dog," Lance retorted.

 

Keith's easy smile wavered as his eyes flicked back to the blue paladin, "C'mon Lance you're not being fair here, she probably just wanted to play."

 

A small rational part of Lance's brain understood what Keith was saying was true to an extent, but he was far too riled up to back down now. 

 

“Please humor me as to why you thought it would be a good idea to bring a giant, teleporting space mutt with us in the first place?”

 

Keith’s irritation was now apparent and his eyes narrowed as he stood. “I don’t know Lance," he said, voice even, "Maybe you can explain to me why you thought it was necessary to drag a useless, smelly future hamburger helper across the entirety of space?"

 

The dam broke.

 

“SHE WAS FREE WITH PURCHASE,” Lance yelled, jabbing a finger into Keith’s stupidly broad chest with each word, “AND SHE MAKES MILKSHAKES FOR US TO ENJOY WHILE ALL YOUR SPACE MONSTER DOES IS TELEPORT WITHOUT CONSENT!”

 

Keith sputtered for second, before launching himself into Lance's personal space. 

 

“I’M LACTOSE INTOLERANT!” 

 

“THAT SOUNDS LIKE A PERSONAL PROBLEM!”

 

"IT'S A MEDICAL CONDITION!"

 

"STOP TAKING EVERYTHING SO DAMN LITERALLY!"

 

"STOP YELLING AT ME!"

" _YOU_ STOP YELLING AT  _ME!_ "

 

“UGH YOU’RE SO-!”

 

“Boys, enough.”

 

Lance and Keith had gotten unreasonably close in their heated exchange and Lance felt the strangest sense of deja vu as he stared into the dark indigo of Keith’s eyes before tearing his face away. Shiro had made his way over, handsome face scrunched in concern.

 

Before he could say anything Lance held up a hand. 

 

“You’re right, Shiro..." he sighed tiredly, shoulders slumping, "I’m sorry for causing a scene.”

 

The former black paladin’s eyes widened in surprise as he looked from Lance to Keith. Lance still couldn’t bear to look at him directly, so he just turned back to face the other boy.

 

“Sorry for blowing it out of proportion man. Just uh, keep an eye out for Nyx, that’s all I ask.”

 

Keith’s entire face fell. “Lance wait-”

 

He’d already turned and began walking back towards the opposite end of camp.. He couldn’t risk staying and hearing what Keith had to say when the sting of tears had already started to blur his vision. 

..........................

 

When Lance was 10, he and his sister were caught outside during a storm.

It was the middle of July when Lance and Rhea, his twin and partner in crime, decided that they’d earned an afternoon of relaxation after helping their parents around the restaurant for the entirety of the morning. 

“Nena,” his mother had grabbed Lance before he could scurry after his sister, “Be back before the rain starts, it’s going to be bad today.”

He’d smiled his winning smile, front teeth askew after growing in awkwardly, “No ma, I’ll just stay out when it starts storming because that makes sense.”

“Oi,” his mother had clucked, smirking, “I didn’t ask for lip, cheeky boy.”

Lance had only laughed as he left for the sandy shores of Varadero. 

He and Rhea had made it a mission that summer to identify and catalog the various sea and beach creatures they’d find over the summer to satiate their childlike infatuation with marine biology. Lance and his sister both took turns looking and recording, making sure to document every new encounter with the utmost detail and importance, in the chance that they one day find something worthy of scientific recognition. 

“Think about about it Leandro,” his sister would say every time they ventured out, “Our names published, heard around the world for discovering the coolest sea animal of all time.”

“Slow down Einstein, why don’t we focus on learning about the buggers that live on the beach first.” Lance admired his sister’s ambition. She’d always matched his wild sense of adventure in stride, but also had a unique penchant for planning for the future that he very much did not share. 

“C’mon hermano, don’t you want a shark named after you?” She stopped them as they meandered by the shore, extending a skinny brown arm out into the horizon. “The Carcharadon Valdes,” she announced dramatically. 

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah yeah, but look at the more interesting  _ known  _ species,” he pointed his chewed up pencil towards the straggling beachgoers while lowering his voice to the best of his ability, “The Homo tourista!”

Rhea snorted loudly, shoving her brother in the process. 

“That was terrible,” she wheezed.

“Yeah but who's laughing?" he retorted with a grin, "Now let’s go, we don’t have much time before it gets gross out and I wanna show you something.”

But despite the thunder rumbling in the distance, the siblings failed to hurry their ambling pace towards a cove Lance had found a few days prior. They stopped to record observations, play in the turf and just talk, finding the pre-storm breeze soft and inviting while ignoring the steady growing darkness of the sky. 

When they reached the cove they only found more reasons to linger as the seaweed littering floor just inside the entrance was full of interesting shells, crabs and even a dead jellyfish. The kids didn’t even notice the rain begin to pour until they stepped out. 

Lance yelped, shoving their battered notebook under his shirt and trying to squint through the torrent.  It was hauntingly dark outside, save for the sporadic and illuminating flashes of lightning. He pulled his sister back from the entrance, dreading the way her small shoulders shivered under his hands.

“Leandro…” her voice was quieter than it had been all afternoon, “How do we get back?”

He opened his mouth to suggest just walking through it together and getting soaked, but an unreasonably loud clap of thunder stole the voice from his chest and elicited a sharp yell from his sibling. Their hands immediately found each other, interlocking their fingers in viselike hold. 

Lance wanted to cry. They’d never been so far from home in conditions like this. And for once, gazing out into the sea only tightened his chest in fear rather than wonder as he looked upon the dark churning waters not too far from where they stood.

He looked to Rhea, who had begun to take deep breaths, in and out. In and out. She turned to look at her brother.

“Okay, I have a plan...but it’ll be scary.”

Lance shook his head, “We’re a team, I trust you. What should we do?”

She looked back out onto the large stretch of beach blurred heavily by torrential downpour. 

“See that huge rock? The one we passed by and found the starfish?”

Lance squinted and could very faintly make out the dark outline of the outcropping rock. 

“Yeah I see it.” 

“I think if we just run for it together, we can get halfway back, and then we’d be able to see the way home better,” she said more confidently.

Lance chewed his lip. They could stay in the cove until the storm passed, but that also meant staying overnight and risking the rising tides in conjunction. Not to mention the cold, and the fact that it would get much darker and scarier as the evening rain wore on. Their mother would also be worried sick and/or furious if they never made it home and the thought of that alone spurred his decision in favor of Rhea’s plan.

He nodded determined. “Together.” 

Rhea squeezed his hand. “Together.” And they sprinted into the rain. 

At first the shock of cold water falling so forcefully from the heavens stunned the both of them, but they quickly acclimatized, fueled by adrenaline and determination.They flinched as thunder and lightning continued to harass their muted senses but found a steady pace, not once letting go of each other. Lance remembered not being able to see anything but his sister directly beside him and the looming shape of the outcropping in the far distance. He decided to focus his limited sight ahead.

This unfortunately also meant not seeing the large shard of glass his right foot caught onto mid stride. 

Crying out in pain, Lance twisted downward, jerking his sister to an abrupt stop. His blurred vision was only furthered by the swift onset of tears and sharp pain shooting up his leg. 

“Rhea,” his voice whimpered out in pain, “I think I cut myself and it hurts really bad.” His last word was choked on the rising sob in his throat. His sister crouched quickly to his side.

“Leandro, we have to get to the rock, I promise I’ll look at it there, okay?” Her voice was shaking as she tugged on her brothers arm. “Please, we can’t stay out here in the open.”

Lance breathed in a shallow, wet breath and used his sisters arms hoist himself up. They resumed their trek at a much slower and for Lance, more painful pace. Waves of pain radiated up and down his right side. He bit his lip to stop himself from crying out as each step lodged more and more sand into the open wound. 

After what seemed like an eon, they rain began to weaken in intensity as they reach the outcropping’s benevolent cover. Lance collapsed on the ground, refusing to look at his injury. He took sallow breaths in, watching his sister shake her limp brown curls out of her eyes. She walked to the farthest reach of the rock trying to peer into the unrelenting rain.

Another wave of pain made him see white, and he couldn’t silence the whimper that escaped his mouth. Rhea’s head whipped towards the sound and she ran back to his side. 

“Let me see hermano,” she took his foot gingerly in her hands turning to towards her.

She blanched. 

“What?” Lance felt panic rise in his chest, “What does it look like?”

She continued to stare in shock, blue eyes unfocused. Lance snatched his foot back to look and almost gagged. The cut wasn’t long, only running from between his toes to the middle of his foot, but it was  _ deep.  _ Deep red dried clots lined the edges of the wound, while the bright red of the inside of his foot could be seen from the outside, all of which was coated in a thin layer of wet sand. The most nauseating part of the injury was the fact that in their hurry, the piece of glass never dislodged and was still in Lance’s foot, embedded deep with the point poking just outside of the wound for the eye to see. 

At the sound of a sharp inhale, he looked up to see Rhea still holding her hands out as if she were still holding him. To his surprise, there were tears streaming steadily down her face. 

“Ree…”

“I did this to you,” she whispered despondently, “I hurt you, Leandro, I did this-”

“Rhea please, it’s okay-”

“I made us run, we could have walked or waited,” she was breathing worryingly fast, “You trusted me and I hurt you and we’re stuck here and we could die-”

Lance grabbed her wrist, able to feel the rapid pulse thrumming underneath this fingertips. He pulled her closer and held her gaze.

“Rhea listen to me,” he began as steadily as he could despite the painful throbbing of his foot, “First of all, you didn’t do this. Some loser who doesn’t know how to recycle is definitely the cause of my pain right now.” He ventured a smile. “Second, because of you, we’re actually pretty close to home. If we’d stayed, the tide would have trapped us, or worse, we’d have to deal with the ghost of the dead jellyfish.” Rhea cracked a smile, thank god. “Third, we’re not dying here drama queen. It’s just rain for one, and also we can’t die when the Carcharadon Valdes is waiting for us to discover it right?”

Rhea laughed. “Thanks hermano.” She took a deep breath, grabbed his hand in hers and squeezed. 

Lance was feeling faint, the sight and pain from his wound were doing nothing to ease the nausea in his stomach, but there was no way on heaven or Earth he’d allow himself to faint or betray his sense of calm when his sister needed him. He steeled himself against the rock and smiled back at her.

“Any time.”

..........................

 

That night, despite the calming night breeze wafting through the camp, Lance felt restless.

The team was spending their first night without the castle of lions on a planet called Trifid. It was a sanctuary planet the paladins had maintained communications with when they began freeing planets to join the coalition. Refugees from this quadrant of the universe had either fled or been sent to seek asylum in the lush planet, protected by defense tech Pidge and Hunk had designed for all sanctuary and coalition planets. Currently, the team was situated outside the most densely populated city on the planet’s north face.  The capitol was overflowing with inhabitants, so the paladins assured fellow coalition leaders that they had no qualms setting up camp just beyond the city borders after stocking up from merchant shops for supplies and food. 

Trifid had been a huge help in broadcasting/promoting the coalition propaganda (especially the extravagant productions developed by Coran while he was infected by the earworm). Lance rolled his eyes as he thought back to the weeks he felt wasted as a B-list actor while the universe continued to burn under Zarkon’s tyranny. He’d felt so useless and frustrated then.

_ “Guess nothing’s changed,”  _ he thought to himself.

Ignoring the sudden tightness in his throat, he untangled himself from his sleeping bag and quietly walked through the camp. The lions stood tall against the night sky arranged in half circle and acting as a cover for the site. Lance let his fingers trail along Red’s enormous claw before walking over to Blue. Her yellow eyes shone in the darkness, very briefly bringing him back to that dark cavern and that fateful day he’d become the blue paladin. 

He loved piloting the red lion especially as Red himself took to Lance so easily and with so much trust, but he couldn’t ever forget the home he found in Blue. Red was a ship built for speeding through the stars, but Blue just seemed like a ship yearning to graze the ocean. There were instances, he would swear, that he could smell sea salt in the cockpit. He let his eyes look between the two silent monoliths for moment longer before turning away.

The team lay sprawled all across the campsite in various physical manifestations of restful sleep. The site was quiet but Lance could still just barely make out Shiro's abnormally loud snoring from a distance. He inched his way across camp but in the darkness, nearly tripped over the fire pit. He steadied himself before looking to see the what he had almost fallen upon. Eyes adjusting, he could see that the tall flames from a few hours prior had reduced to nothing but smoldering embers that cast a dim glow on the face of the raven haired paladin curled most closely to them.

Lance paused to look upon Keith’s sleeping form, curled almost childlike on top of his sleeping bag. He hadn't bothered changing into sleeping attire and had fallen asleep in just his undersuit, paladin armor laying shucked to the side. His massive hound lay just beside him like an enormous, fluffy yet ferocious looking body pillow, breathing evenly as her drooping ears twitched.  

 

It was simultaneously so odd and so familiar to have Keith back. For months, Lance had to adjust his balance without the red paladin. They'd been a dynamic duo, each other's push and pull, both rising to cause with equal and opposite reactions. As Keith's right hand, he'd grown unexpectedly closer to the boy he had often referred to as "the desert wild child." A self constructed rivalry had slowly given way to an effortless camaraderie. A friendship. 

And then suddenly, it was gone. Keith was gone. Leaving a confusedly hurt Lance behind to try and discard the muscle memory of every roving eye seeking out red, every casual arm thrown around broad shoulders post-battle, every parry and block in the training room, and every unexplainable stutter of the heart when he earned raspy laughter. 

 

But here he was. No longer an indeterminable number of light years away from Lance, but merely a few inches. Sleeping soundly while long, straight eyelashes cast spidery shadows over a freckled nose. The  permanent furrow between his brows was gone, and despite his recent (alleged) age up, he looked almost as young as the first time Lance bumped into him at the Garrison.

Lance felt almost guilty for the morning's scene. After leaving Keith, he'd made himself scarce, even going as far as hiding in Red, when the other boy came looking for him. It was unnatural to revert back to their immature bickering, but those few moments he fumed at the red paladin stirred a corner of his chest that had lain dormant for months. He didn't know what that meant.  

Before he could continue to dwell, Lance tore his eyes away as he tiptoed over the sleeping bodies, making his way quietly past the dense brush and to the cliff’s edge to sit down. The city sprawling below him was quiet and dim, which in turn gave room for the celestial bodies above to shine clearly. Bright white stars peppered the blue black sky, while the still surfaces of satellites orbiting the planet reflected their light. He knew his brother Marco, who like Lance dreamt of the stars, would have definitely loved this. Even Rhea would have begrudgingly admitted that the sky could hold its own in comparison to the beauty of the sea. Under normal circumstances, he’d also be awestruck.

But these weren’t normal circumstances. 

Lance had grown weary of the galaxy and its hot balls of gas and rocky planets and alien imperialism. He wanted loud tourists, his mother’s garlic infused smock, and his sisters bright eyes as she laid out another bold new idea for the future. He just wanted to feel the grit of sand and seashell against the scar on his right foot because at least then then dull ache would remind him that his life on Earth wasn’t a dream. 

He felt a hot tear snake down his face. 

Glancing around to make sure he was truly alone, he allowed the sob he’d been holding at bay to finally break free. Lance wasn’t sure exactly why he was crying but he supposed that that in of itself was as good as any reason. He couldn’t even find it in himself to feel embarrassed at the sound of his loud cries echoing in the valley directly below. He would just himself break for a bit-

Lance felt his entire body freeze at the sound of the rustling brush behind him. He slowly turned dreading to see another paladin but found no sign of movement beyond the branches. 

It took everything in him to not scream when he felt something hot and wet glide up the side of his face. 

“What the-?!” he said as he found himself staring the bright yellow eyes of Keith’s furry companion.

Lance groaned, dragging a hand through his hair. “Ugh, I just wanted to dramatically cry in peace you time travelling she-demon.” He glared at her meaningfully, but the massive animal only cocked its head to the side.

Dammit that was almost endearing.

“You gonna eat me now for yelling at Keith or what?” he said dully. 

Nyx shifted on her haunches quietly, but didn’t, in fact, eat Lance. Instead, she lowered her head and neck onto Lance’s lap, gazing attentively up at the boy with wide eyes. 

Lance blinked. 

Nyx blinked back.

He let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. “Um....okay….I guess this is happening.”

He cautiously lowered his hands into the beast’s thick blue fur and found it incredibly soft to the touch. Nyx let out a deep rumble as Lance began to card generously through her fur. Despite himself, he smiled as she closed her eyes in contentment while he scratched her behind the ears.

“Well damn,” he murmured, “How am I supposed to hate you when go and do that?”

Lance sighed heavily, looking back out at the sky. He could feel the remaining pressure behind his eyes beg for release. He cleared his throat. “Uh..I didn’t plan on having company, but I’m not quite done crying yet, so I’m just gonna continue...if you don’t mind.” He glanced down.

Nyx was already looking back at him, and after a moment, blinked as if giving Lance the greenlight to do so. He chuckled as the tears began to flow freely again. 

“Thanks.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wheew. 
> 
> I want a cosmic doge to listen to me and my problems man. 
> 
> But also this story will hopefully getting some good ole resolutions for character conflicts that I hope to have actually canonically happen in season 7 (pls ya rabbi). 
> 
> What I hope anyone takes away from finishing this fic is that Klance has/is/will be cannon king. 
> 
> Pls pls pls comment any and all feelings you have about my word vomit of a story, I love reading everyone's thoughts even if they are incoherent keyboard smashes ;)
> 
> Also say hi to meh on [tungle](http://astromullet.tumblr.com/)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Everything that has happened or will happen was meant to. All the bad stuff and all the really, really good stuff. Every meteor shower, or car accident or first kiss has all been set up by the universe from the start. But how we deal with those events, how we pick ourselves up, how we learn from heartbreak, or how we charge towards victory...well that’s up to us.” He smiled at Lance. “That same universe is the one that led you to Blue in the first place. You were always meant to be a paladin, Lance. But you chose to be a hero.”
> 
> Lance blinked rapidly, trying to stop the fresh tears from rolling down his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know how we all want Shiro and Lance to have a heart to heart, and really address all the points of tension and conflict and self doubt shared between the two of them? 
> 
> Well, I wrote it. 
> 
> And it's emotional af, so prepare your anus.

In the morning, the paladins had begun loading the lions for their journey onward.

 

Lance stood by Kaltenecker, having already loaded Red, watching her eat from the pasture just a little longer before she too had to board. He heard a sharp peal of laughter and looked over to see Pidge holding onto her knees in an attempt to control her laughter, while Hunk was wiping a fake tear from his eyes.

 

Their closeness in the past couple of weeks had gone from what he fondly called ‘nerdy bonding’ to something more. He had begun to see the duo less and less as the weeks wore on as their technical knowledge pushed them into more missions that required a comprehensive understanding of engineering Lance really didn’t have. He’d actually found himself dreading their company as of late, know that whenever they were together, some jive on Lance’s behalf would surely make its way into the conversation.

 

“You appreciate me don’t ya girl?” Lance murmured, gently patting Kaltenecker’s side. The cow chewed contentedly, but stared back at Lance with wide, kind eyes.

 

He stood stretching. “Alright babe, time to go.”

 

But before he could do anything, he found himself on his back, as a hot wet tongue assaulted his face.

 

“Hmmfmgpdf,” he said laughing, “Nyx, you need to not.”

 

Nyx reluctantly retreated a touch to let Lance sit up before gently licking his cheek. Lance scratched her behind the ears as the dog panted happily, large tail audibly thumping next to his leg. This close, Lance could admire the beauty of the beast. Her fur wasn’t black but a deep midnight blue, with lighter cerulean patterns along her ears and along her body. Wide, yellow eyes squeezed shut, enjoying Lance’s touch, before she rolled onto her back.

 

“Do you want belly rubs?,” Lance asked with a wide grin. He leaned over and began scratching her expansive torso, while Nyx lay content, front paws hanging limply in the air. “You’re such a beautiful girl,” Lance cooed while Nyx stared at him tongue happily hanging out, “It’s illegal to be this cute you know?”

 

“NYX!”

 

Lance turned his head to see Keith jogging over to where the two were. His eyes widened at the scene.

 

“Lance, I’m so sorry,” Keith sputtered, “I told her to stay away from you and-”

 

Lance held up a hand. “Dude, it’s fine. She’s uh, actually more cuddly than bloodthirsty as it would turn out.”

 

Keith looked between the two before also crouching down. He reached a hand out to join Lance in rubbing the massive animals stomach.

 

“Did I..miss something here?” Keith asked incredulously, glancing at Lance.

 

Lance could feel his cheeks warm. “We bonded last night or whatever. She’s a... surprisingly good listener.”

 

Keith snorted. “I told you she’s nice.”

 

“Whatever mullet,” Lance retorted, but there was no bite.

 

“This hardly classifies as a mullet anymore.”

 

Lance tore his eyes from Nyx to look at Keith. He was right. Keith’s inky hair had grown down to his shoulders, the tousled locks making him look more like a roguish prince now than a washed out 80’s hair catalog. But Lance wouldn’t let him have that.

 

He arched an eyebrow. “So you admit, it  _ was  _ a mullet?”

 

Keith rolled eyes. “Lance…”

 

“I’m kidding,” he laughed and then paused looking away, “Listen..I’m sorry about blowing up yesterday. Really.” He looked up to see that Keith was already staring back at him. “That was pretty uncool on my part.”

 

“Lance, I yelled at you too remember,” Keith said, eyes softening, “You’re not the only one to blame here. And besides, I owe you an apology for brushing you off when I got back to the Castle of Lions a few days ago.” He sighed shutting his eyes. “I was just...overwhelmed with the new information about Lotor, and Romelle and the Altean colony, and seeing everyone again.”

 

Lance watched him opened his eyes, and for the second time in his life, found himself enraptured by the most intensely violet irises he had ever seen.

 

“That doesn’t excuse my behavior obviously,” Keith continued, “So I wanted to apologize officially, er, if that’s okay?”

 

Lance could feel stomach dance uncomfortably. “Who are you and what have you done with Keith?” he breathed out.

 

Keith chuckled, and Lance’s stomach turned. “Lance c’mon I’m trying here..” he said grinning.

 

Lance felt his mouth stretch into a smile, “Okay fine, we’re good. Yeesh.”

 

Keith’s smile was radiant, and Lance was convinced he needed to get his stomach checked because it was doing things he’d never experienced before in his life.

 

“Lance! Keith! We’re heading out!” The boys turned to look back at where Coran had been calling them. He stood atop the maw of the blue lion, waving his arms at them.

 

Lance laughed. “Better get going before he pulls something.”

 

Keith stood, offering him a hand which, after Lance took, did nothing to quell the monster in his gut.

 

Lance grabbed Kaltenecker’s rope as Nyx jumped up and followed them towards the ships.

 

As they walked, Keith cleared his throat. “By the way, word is you have a sword now?”

 

Lance grinned wickedly. “Oh what, you scared I’m probably a better swordsman than you?”

 

“I’m terrified for sure,” he replied sardonically, “But since we don’t really have a training room anymore, maybe you and I could train together? Like at the next pit stop?”

 

They’d stopped in front of Black and Red, and Keith was looking at Lance expectantly, a faint pink partially obscuring his freckles from sight.

 

“Sure!” Lance said a little too excitedly. He coughed and made up for it with “I look forward to knocking you on your ass mullet.”

 

Keith rolled his eyes. “Okay cargo pilot, we’ll see about that.”

 

With that, the two began heading towards their respective lions, but after moment, Lance realized that he and Kaltenecker weren’t alone.

 

“Nyx,” he said glancing at the massive hound trotting beside them up Red’s ramp, “Keith’s over there you weirdo.”

 

She only gazed back at Lance, making no indication of moving away. Lance sighed.

 

“When did I become the animal whisperer,” he craned his neck, “KEITH!”

 

The red paladin looked back at him and then down at Nyx with a raised eyebrow.

 

“Don’t you want your dog?!!” Lance yelled over.

 

“She can ride with you if you want,” Keith yelled back, “I’ll take her next time!”

 

Lance looked down at the animal, tail wagging happily. “Well it seems your father has given me custody for the next day or so of flying so let’s get comfy, hmm?”

 

He scratched her ears before guiding both her and Kaltenecker into the Red Lion.

 

* * *

 

 

The first thing Lance did when moved into his dorm at the Garrison, after calling his mami of course, was hang up his poster of Takashi Shirogane. 

It was beat up, torn in the corner, and smelled vaguely of burnt coffee, but it was one of his most prized possessions. It was a centerfold poster from an aviation magazine Lance’s brother Marco had gifted him for his 12th birthday. 

The feature story was about the talented pilot being the youngest ever to qualify for the two year space flight programs the Garrison was famous for. In the feature, Shiro talked about his inspirations, his journey, his tips for young aspiring cadets and briefly about how he handled knowing he was also a Japanese man breaking ground and inspiring so many others like him. 

“I used to foolishly wish that being described as a ‘man of color’ regarding these things was something of a cop out or somehow undermined or boxed my experiences. But as I’ve navigated through my life, I found that I too looked to other men and women of color specifically for inspiration and courage. To see a face that looks like yours, or one you can tell you share cultural experiences with, achieving greatness? It’s something magical. I hold the knowledge that I have been that person for some very close to my heart.”

Lance kept rereading that response until he could quote it word for word.

As he placed the final piece of tape on the wall, he heard someone speak out from behind him.

“Woah, nice poster man, is that Professor Shirogane?”

Lance whirled around to see a tall, bulky boy, holding bags and suitcases, standing at the entrance of the room. His hair stood gelled up and held back by a bright orange bandanna, and his face was open and smiling. Lance liked him immediately.

“Hell yeah man, he’s my hero!” He hopped down from the dresser he had been standing on and held out a hand. “Name’s Lance by the way. You must be Hunk?”

Hunk, whose arms were full, plopped his bags down on the bed and took Lance’s hand with excitement. “Yep, nice to meet you Lance! Oh and by the way,” he leaned forward, “I loved that specific interview with him, too.”

Oh yeah, Lance was gonna love this guy. 

The rest of their day was spent getting to know each other as the two boys unpacked their things and made their dorm as home-y as possible. Hunk put up a large Samoan flag above his bed and a framed photo of himself and his two mothers on the beach while Lance strung a pretty impressive number of fairy light adorned polaroids of family members across the large wallspace on his side. 

After grabbing dinner from a pretty empty commissary, the boys headed back their dorm wondering what orientation would be like in the coming days. 

“Do you think we’ll get to try the flight sims early? Like maybe as a ‘here’s what’s to come’ kinda thing?” mused Lance as he and Hunk lay comfortably on Hunk’s bed.

“I don’t think so man,” Hunk replied sheepishly, “And I’m kinda glad because the thought of flying right now with my current know-how makes me queasy.”

“We wouldn’t actually be flying, dude.”

“Yeah I know, but still..” he was quiet for a beat. “Hey Lance.”

“Yeah bud?”

“Would it be weird if I said I kinda miss home right now?”

Lance looked over at the other boy smiling knowingly. “Nah, because then I’d be pretty weird for feeling the same, too.”

Hunk sighed. “I never realized, how far the Garrison was till the flight over.”

Lance closed his eyes, a sudden ache finding itself in his chest. “Tell me about it.” Suddenly, he knew what to do. “Hey, I think I know how I can cure a little bit our homesickness,” he said sitting up.

Hunk looked intrigued. “Okay…”

“So when I was little, my dad travelled a lot for business. He used to tell me that whenever he felt homesick, he would just go outside and look at the stars, and that he’d feel better knowing that we’d be looking at the same ones too.” 

Hunk grinned widely. “Hey, that’s actually pretty good! We can climb onto the roof and-” his face fell, “Wait it’s past curfew dude.”

“Pffft,” Lance waved his hand, “Classes don’t start until Monday, so _technically_ we’re not in school which means _technically_ we can’t get detention.”

Hunk looked apprehensive. “We could get kicked out...”

Lance’s eyes gleamed wickedly, “Sure, if we’re caught.”

After some more coaxing, Hunk finally agreed to accompany Lance on what he dubbed 'Operation Stargaze the Homesickness Away.' The two stealthily made their way out of the dorm and weaved past the dining hall and  first floor classrooms. The corridors were quiet save for the faint tapping of their sneaking footsteps as the two boys walked along the walls. The teacher’s lounge lay just before the stairwell doors leading to the rooftop and they could see the glow of light shining into the hallway and muted voices from inside.

“I don’t know about this Lance…” Hunk whispered nervously as the two crawled underneath the glass window peering into the hall. 

“We’re so close Hunk, don’t chicken out now.” Lance hissed back. 

They made it past successfully and ran to the end of the hallway where the stairwell lay. 

Lance eagerly pushed against the door and…it was locked. 

“Ugh,” he whisper groaned, leaning his head against the cool metal door. 

“Come one man, let’s just go back-”

“No! C’mon we made it this far there has to be another way to make it onto the roof-”

“There is.”

At the sound of the third voice, the two boys froze in terror. They slowly turned to see a tall figure locking up a classroom directly behind them. Lance cursed himself inwardly for not having noticed before. Now he and his new friend could very well end their careers before they even started. He braced himself for the worst as the figure straightened and walked over. As they stepped into view, Lance could feel his heart jump in his throat. No way. No fucking way was the person walking towards him in a dimly lit corridor in the Galaxy Garrison the actual-

“Be glad this door is locked. It creaks pretty loudly, which is not always conducive to sneaking around,” said Takashi Shirogane grinning. 

Lance couldn’t breathe. And judging from the weird noises coming from his right, Hunk wasn’t handling this well either.

“You troublemakers trying to get to the roof?” Shiro asked.

“Oh no, no, no, Mister-I mean-Professor Shirogane, we were just uhh lost looking for the bathroom..?” Lance wanted to kick himself for delivering the weakest lie in all of existence, but Shiro didn’t look particularly angry. In fact, he seemed more amused. 

“Guys it’s okay, I'm not here to bust you," he said laughing quietly, "And please, call me Shiro. Besides, school hasn’t even started, so you can’t _really_ be in trouble."

Lance grinned at Hunk. “See?”

“Alright, listen up cadets, I’m gonna help you out.” He placed his hands on Hunk and Lance’s shoulders, face mock-serious while Lance tried not to let his internal scream manifest externally. “If you head down this hallway and head left into the commissary, there’s a backdoor in the kitchen that no one really checks. If you go through it, you’ll find yourself outside. Use something to keep the door from closing completely because it locks. Once you do that, walk to the side of the building and you’ll see that there’s be a pull down ladder that leads you directly to the roof.”

He looked at both of them in turn. “Mission understood?” 

Lance and Hunk looked at each other and then back at Shiro, raising their hands in salute. “Yes, sir!” they whispered in unison.

Shiro stood and saluted them back. “Well then, god speed cadets!” He smiled down at them and Lance could feel his heart swell twice its size. Then he and Hunk took off to complete their mission.

Later that night, as the two boys lay on the roof, quizzing each other on constellations, the realization of meeting his hero buzzed electrically in Lance’s veins. He couldn’t even remember the ache that drove them up there to watch the starry night sky in the first place. 

 

* * *

 

 

“....and basically that’s why I think Coran definitely had a thing for Allura’s dad. It just makes sense you know?” 

Nyx blinked back in agreement. Or she just blinked. Lance liked to think it was the former. 

The team had been flying for over 20 hours now. For a while the comms were flooded with light chatter: Allura, Romelle and Coran arguing with Pidge and Hunk regarding the necessity of intergalactic fast food chains, while Krolia and Shiro could be heard talking sporadically in the background but for the most part tended to stay silently amused. Lance chipped in a few times but mostly used his time harmlessly antagonizing Keith, enjoying the familiarity in goading and riling up the other boy in good fun. 

Conversations petered out as they approached the 19 hour mark, when Shiro suggested the pilots leave the ships on autopilot for an hour or two to rest.

Lance found that he couldn’t sleep, but shut off his comms regardless, not entirely comfortable making small talk with the former black paladin. 

He sighed leaning his head back onto the pilot’s chair. Nyx, whose massive head was laying gently in Lance’s lap, watched his movements with careful eyes. He played with her ears, suddenly despondent. 

“I can’t tell you how glad I am that Shiro’s back,” he said to Nyx or himself or to no one in particular, “But I-for the life of me-can’t even look at him?”

His voice caught, hands stilling, “I want to talk to him, but I don’t know what to say,” The back of his eyes stung, “I just..feel so guilty and confused and I don’t know why-”

He let a out a shaky breath. 

“I don’t know,” he said tiredly. 

Nyx let out a low whine and lifted her head off of Lance. He reached out to comfort her, but the large animal pulled back and walked behind the pilot’s seat. 

“Wha-” he swivelled his head to see where she’d gone only to find that he was alone in the cockpit.

“Huh,” he said, his own voice sounding pathetic to his ears, “I’m so miserable a cosmic monster got sick of my sob fest.” 

Lance could feel Red rumble as a means of comfort to his paladin, but it wasn’t really working. He held his head in his hands allowing the emotions to rise and rest heavy in his chest. It was times like these when he missed the ocean the most. Because the water was welcoming, expansive and he could always expect to float face up. But here, alone in the lion that wasn’t his, isolated, and confused, Lance learned that drowning was more painful than he could ever imagine.

“Lance?”

Lance stiffened, then slowly lifted his head to see a concerned Shiro standing just beyond his reach. Nyx, now returned, trotted up to Lance and nudged his side again. He stood awkwardly still wide eyed and unsure of why the teleporting beast had abruptly kidnapped Shiro from the Black Lion. 

Shiro, however, seemed unfazed about why he was there, and more focused on why the blue paladin seemed unable to speak or move.

“Hey,” Shiro said walking forward. He placed his hand on Lance’s shoulder, “What’s wrong, bud?”

Lance let out a wild laugh and then clapped his hands over his mouth in embarrassment. “I feel like I should be asking  _ you _ that question.” 

Shiro smiled kindly. “Lance I’m okay, I’m just a little tired adjusting to-” he looked down at his chest and then back up, “You know, being dead and coming back to life and all that,” he finished grinning. 

Lance could feel his eyes swim, vision blurring as he took a shaky breath in. “Oh god..”

He could vaguely make out Shiro’s eyes widen. “Crap, I’m sorry I thought that was funny, was that too soon?” he said worriedly. 

Lance couldn't help the small giggle that rose out of his chest. This really had to be a dream, because he couldn’t wrap his head around the events going on on the present. 

“Shiro, dude, literally who in their right mind would find that funny?” Lance asked as he wiped his eyes. 

Shiro walked over and sat on one of the raised platforms behind the cockpit controls, gesturing for Lance to join him. “I mean,  _ I _   thought it was pretty good.”

Lance sat with some distance between himself and the former black paladin, but couldn’t help rolling his eyes. “It’s not a joke if it’s what literally happened.”

“You have to admit the craziness of our lives right now warrants some dad joke-esque humor.” 

“Dad joke humor isn’t that dark!”

“Lance, I’m hurt, I thought you, a connoisseur of the comedic arts, would appreciate me in my prime.”

“Shiro, this is truly depressing if this is your prime.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I don’t think it’s called a prime if you die before you get to it.”

“Jesu-SHIRO!”

The other man roared with laughter, a sight Lance had seen happen on very few occasions. Shiro had always been a beacon of light and hope for the rest of the team, but the strain of leading through wartime definitely took it toll. To see his handsome face scrunched with amusement and an almost carefree air made gave Lance an intense surge of gratitude and fondness for his leader. 

Shiro chuckled, having reigned in his outburst. He shook his head, “Man, you sound so much like Adam.”

Lance started at the familiarity of the name. “Your boyfriend right? Professor  Elsammak-Althani who led the aeronautical engineering workshops?” 

“Fiancé,” Shiro corrected sighing, “Or, ex-fiancé I should say. But yep, that’s him.”

“And..I remind you of him?” Lance ventured, “How?”

“Well neither of you appreciate my dark humor, for one.” He paused, pursing his lips, and then turned his body so he could look Lance straight in the eyes. “And, I owe both of you an apology.” 

Lance’s eyes bugged out of his head. “Woah, hold on now-”

“Lance please let me-”

“NO!” Both Lance and Shiro jumped at the sudden  intensity with which Lance protested. He took a deep breath, unable to meet Shiro’s gaze, “Shiro please don’t I--I don’t deserve it.”

“Lance-”

“I failed you,” Lance could feel his eyes well, accepting that he was just going to have to let the dam break again, “I should have been more relentless about that clone. I mean-I was suspicious from the start but I. Didn’t. Do anything.” 

Lance could feel buried sobs rising dangerously up his chest and felt Shiro move closer but he couldn’t stop. He watched drops of saltwater fall on his clenched fists. “Fuck, you reached out to me and I knew it was significant somehow and I still couldn’t get to you. I put you and Keith,” his voice cracked, “and the whole fucking team in danger.”

“Lance that wasn’t-”

“It’s no surprise really,” Lance’s chest rose and fell with labored breathing, tears flowing unrestrained, to his embarrassment, “I couldn’t even stop Lotor from hurting Allura, so how was I possibly supposed to protect everyone else? God, I’m not the seventh wheel am I? I’m the damn defect in the whole machine-”

And suddenly Lance was cut off, voice muffled as his Shiro wrapped his single arm securely around the boy’s shoulders and pulled him into his chest. He was limp and openly crying onto Shiro’s shirt, while Shiro made no move of letting go.

“Lance,” Shiro’s voice was heavy, “You are not disposable to this team, do you understand?”

He pulled back to look the blue paladin in the eyes. 

“What happened to me wasn’t your fault and you are in no way responsible for any of it. You’re not the enemy here.”

“I know I’m not,” Lance whispered, “But what have I done to even earn my name as a paladin?”

Shiro laughed. “Are you kidding?” He could see that Lance, was not in fact, kidding. He changed his tact. “Okay, humor me for a sec. Think of all the infinite variables of the universe. It seems chaotically random, right?”

Lance wasn’t sure where this was going, but he nodded. 

“The Big Bang led to the creation of the universe which then sparked an infinite number of timelines and possibilities and events in time and space. There are endless possibilities, and events that fall into place for one reason or another, but we still have a little wiggle room to shape which way our future is headed.”

“Everything that has happened or will happen was meant to. All the bad stuff and all the really, really good stuff. Every meteor shower, or car accident or first kiss has all been set up by the universe from the start. But how we deal with those events, how we pick ourselves up, how we learn from heartbreak, or how we charge towards victory...well that’s up to us.” He smiled at Lance. “That same universe is the one that led you to Blue in the first place. You were always meant to be a paladin, Lance. But you _ chose _ to be a hero.”

Lance blinked rapidly, trying to stop the fresh tears from rolling down his face.

“No one asked you risk your life for Coran, who you barely knew by the way, all those months ago when Sendak infiltrated the castle ship. And again, unprompted, you chose to protect that Yupper from Beta Traz when we had to, ugh,” Shiro comically grimaced, “Retrieve Slav.”

“Don’t downplay your talent either. You’re one the best shots I’ve ever seen, Lance, and I’ve seen my share of sharpshooters. What’s more is I've heard that you’ve managed to unlock more bayard forms than any of us, including a weapon only used by Allura’s father. You’re an all around, jack of all trades if I’ve ever seen one.”

Lance’s cheeks hurt from beaming. “Shiro,” Lance sniffed, “I don’t know what to sa-”

“Hold on cadet, I’m not done,” the older man interrupted. 

“When you saw me on the astral plane, and I reached out to you, I was able to very briefly see what had happened prior. I-er-my clone, didn’t listen to your suggestion to leave Naxcela when we had the chance. And yeah that was the clone at that time, but that has also been me.”

Shiro took  a shaky breath. “As a leader I should have listened to  _ all  _ my teammates more, and it was unfair of me to take advantage of my power and not do so with you. Maybe if I had...you wouldn’t have even fathomed being a throwaway member of the team when you are just as important as everyone else. For that-,” to Lance’s surprise, Shiro’s voice caught, “I’m really sorry.” 

Lance could barely get out the words looking at his leader's remorseful face. “Permission to hug you, sir?” 

Shiro gave him a watery smile. “Permission granted.” 

And for a silent few moments, Lance and Shiro held each other tightly, as two soldiers, two pilots, two _friends_ in a merciless war trying to find peace in one another. 

 

They broke apart laughing as Nyx nudged her way between them, delicately licking the tear tracks on Lance’s face.

 

“She really likes you,” said Shiro smiling. 

 

Lance laughed at Nyx’s ceaseless affection. “It would seem so.” He scratched her massive head. “Thanks girl,” he said for only her to hear.

Suddenly, the sound of an incoming call rung through the cockpit. Lance gently moved Nyx aside and walked over to the console to answer it. Keith’s worried face immediately filled the console screen and his chest did a little dance.

“Lance,” he sounded frantic, “I woke up and couldn’t find Shiro-”

“Keith, it’s fine, I’m right here.” Shiro had ambled over and waved to his younger brother assuredly.

Keith’s eyebrows scrunched in confusion. “How did you-and why…?”

“Your teleporting dog is a menace, mullet,” Lance retorted just as Nyx trotted into view, “But also, Shiro and I were overdue for a talk.” He smiled over at the former black paladin.

Keith’s panicked face abated considerably. “Well, I’m glad to see it went alright.” He paused, eyes narrowing. He leaned closer to the screen and smirked, “Were you guys crying?”

“OKAY BYE KEITH.” Lance shut the video feed down as Keith opened his mouth in protest. Shiro chuckled shaking his head.

“I guess I should also mention that I’m ever grateful to you for keeping Keith alive and in check while I was gone,” he raised an eyebrow. “That, in of itself is an unique talent."

Lance rubbed the back of his neck, cheeks warming, “Yeah well, it wasn’t easy. He doesn’t really like to listen to literally anyone or truly understand the definition of the word ‘chill’.”

Shiro leaned against the console and smirked at Lance knowingly. “He seems to listen to you.”

Lance was suddenly sweaty. “Not without arguing with me the whole way.” He noticed that Shiro was pursing his lips. “What?”

“Nothin’,” he shrugged, smiling. “Nothing at all.”

Lance squinted at him defensively before remembering something he had said earlier.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Lance, we just cried in each others arms, I think you’ve got the greenlight.”

Lance smiled. “Before, you said you also needed to apologize to Professor Elsammak-Althani, uh Adam,...can I ask why?”

Shiro’s face fell just slightly.

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” Lance added quickly.

Shiro shook his head, “No it’s okay, I want to.” He ran his hand through his now snowy hair and looked out of Red’s dashboard. “A year or two before I left for Kerberos, I found out that a dormant condition I’d known about my entire life had suddenly begun a slow but steady terminal muscular degeneration. I was given about 5 or 6 more years before it would really start to physically incapacitate me.”

Shiro looked back to see shock written across Lance’s face. “I---I had no idea,” Lance said almost apologetically. 

“Well it’s not something I wanted to broadcast to everyone. But it’s fine, between Haggar’s experimentation on me, and literally getting a new body, I won’t ever have to worry about it again.” He laughed humorlessly, “Talk about miracle recovery.”

He looked back out. “When Pidge’s father insisted that I join him on the Kerberos mission, I was ecstatic. I’d been on trips with him before, but this was truly groundbreaking. A deep space mission to gather evidence concerning the existence of extraterrestrial life...it was my childhood dream come true.”

Lance watched him shut his eyes tiredly before continuing. “Adam wasn’t happy about it. He insisted that I deny Sam’s request for the sake of my health, and so that we could spend as much time together before things went south, but I just...couldn’t.” He opened his eyes, fixating on the inky blackness of space just beyond them. “I didn’t want to die, without knowing what was really out here.”

“And now you do,” Lance said.

Shiro looked over at him and smiled sadly, “And now I do.” It sounded unfinished.

“But…?”

“But,” Shiro voice had gotten quieter, “Being out here, going through everything I’ve gone through, just makes me realize how nothing across all of the universe could ever compare to home.” 

Lance raised a hand in agreement. “You are preaching to the choir.”

Shiro grinned, but then quickly sombered. “I just-I just wish I could tell him that I never forgot him. That with every victory as the champion, every mission as a paladin, every wrong turn or successful win, he was--is--in the back of my mind.” He sighed deeply. “And now every time I try to picture home, I can only see his face.”

Lance stood up determined, unable to see him so hopeless. 

 

“Shiro, no offense, but you’re dumb stupid if you think you’re not going to be able to do that.”

Shiro looked at him quizzically. “Dumb and stupid mean the same thing..” he muttered, but Lance wasn’t listening. 

“You deserve happiness, too. Hell, out of all of us, you deserve it the most. Bup bup bup,” he held up a hand seeing Shiro getting ready to protest, “Lancey Lance is speaking.”

Shiro raised both eyebrows but conceded.

“You’re the most selfless man I’ve ever met, an incredible leader and inspiration for a generation of pilots across the world.” Lance beamed. “You’ve been my hero since I was a kid. I, heh, kinda had a poster of you hung in my dorm back at the Garrison.”

Shiro laughed graciously, “Oh man, I’m...flattered? I honestly don’t know what say.” 

Lance shook his head. “I need you to know that you're the person that's assured me I could make it to the Garrison in the first place. And that you're the dude, that let Hunk and I climb on top of the roof our first night because we were thousands of miles from home and wanted to feel a little less homesick," he saw Shiro's eyes flash with recognition.

 

"Oh my god that was you!"

 

"Yep! I just got more and more good looking with age, I know," Lance smirked. Shiro rolled his eyes, smiling. 

 

Lance continued on. "Listen, I just want you to understand that your story inspired a skinny little brown boy from Cuba to never stop dreaming of flying through the stars. And now, here I am.”

Shiro spoke, voice tight with emotion. “Lance, I’m not looking to cry again please cease this emotional assault.”

“Nope, no can do.” He stepped forward to grip Shiro’s shoulders. “You’ve touched a lot of lives Shiro, especially all of us here on the team. Nothing we do will ever fully match how much you’ve helped us, but by God, we will try to pay our debt by getting you back to your man.”

Shiro’s eyes were watery. “Fuck Lance, I told you to cease and desist..”

“We’re getting you home Shiro,” Lance said as firmly as he could for Shiro, for himself, and for the team. “And then, we’re going to throw you the dankest wedding of all time.”

Shiro’s smile outshone the brightest stars. 

“Alright Lance, let's go home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to have Shiro do a thing my dad does where he references some random/obscure ass concept and somehow still perfectly ties it in to whatever life lesson he was trying to teach/lecture me about. It's truly a dad talent.
> 
> God bless Nyx and her meddling, which will only continue until her boy Lance is fully happy again..... ;)
> 
> Also this isn't the last you've heard of Adam (who I headcanon as a Desi/Arab Muslim man whose last name I pulled from genius @k-eith on tumblr ) OR the last of Lance and Shiro confiding in each other. Let's just say Lance has a few more.....things to talk to his mentor/hero/friend about....
> 
> Also those of you here for Klance, don't worry, I know I've been a little light with the Keith/Lance interactions but it's slow burn for a reason (but seriously next chapters will be more Klance-centric). 
> 
> Pls comment any and all thoughts, I love reading what people think of my word vomit writing, and also feel free to hit me up on [tumblr!](http://astromullet.tumblr.com/)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So you’re telling me,” Lance mused, trying to keep a straight face, “That your dad saw an alien babe crash land in his backyard and thought to himself: ‘Yo dude, imma smash that’ and then did?! Wow, an icon, honestly.” 
> 
> Keith was choking. “LANCE,” he wheezed out, embarrassedly slapping his hands over his face, “Ugh, I really didn’t ever want to think about my parents like oh my god-”
> 
> Lance was howling. “Wow, I’m hilarious,” he said wiping tears from his eyes and then dodging a Keith’s near fatal shoulder punch.
> 
> “God, you’re the worst,” said the other paladin shaking his dark head.
> 
> Lance sobered up a little. “Hey, uh, you don’t actually think that right?”
> 
> Keith’s face softened. “No. I don’t.”
> 
> Lance laughed nervously. “Right, duh, we’re besties for life.”
> 
> The other boy raised an eyebrow. “What, no more neck and neck rival nonsense?”
> 
> “Oi, it wasn’t nonsense, and we’re STILL rivals,” Lance grinned, “But we can be friends, too.”
> 
> Keith’s expression was bright. “I guess I can work with that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *throws this chapter at you*
> 
> Eat my children.

When Lance first met Pidge, he didn’t like her much. 

She grated on his nerves with her blunt prickliness, her penchant to seemingly operate through her Garrison classes with blinders to anything that wasn’t schoolwork, and her consistent declines to Lance’s attempts to reach out and bond as a friend and teammate. 

“Did we do something?” He asked Hunk one late night as the two walked back with bags of delicious contraband from the commissary.

“Dude I don’t know,” Hunk said reaching for the door that led them outside and to the roof. “Maybe he just, prefers being alone.”

Lance snorted. “I can’t relate.”

“Yeah I know you can’t bud.”

“I just don’t get it,” Lance continued musing aloud as they climbed the ladder, “I’ve tried being nice and every time-”

“Wait, Lance, do you hear that?”

Lance quieted and listened closely. It was unnervingly quiet, but he then heard what sounded like someone sniffling on the roof just a few feet above them.

“What the-”

Lance climbed the rest of the way, making sure to stay quiet lest they scare the other person away. Gripping onto the ledge, he pulled himself up to peer over.

“Who is it?” Hunk whispered. 

“It’s...Pidge.”

The kid was sitting curled with her head resting on her arms. She shook quietly, sounds permeating the air with a sharpness that made Lance’s heart ache. 

He pulled himself up in spite of Hunk’s protests and walked over.

“Hey dude-”

Pidge violently jumped back, wiping her tears forcefully off her face. 

“What-What the hell are you doing here?” She narrowed her large amber eyes. “Were you following me?”

“No,” Lance said softly, sitting down beside her, “Hunk and I come up here a lot so we’re just as surprised to find you here as you are to see us. Although,” he smirked at her, “You’d have known we come up here if you’d just took me up on an offer to hang like once.”

 

P idge rolled her eyes and drew her knees close to her body, staring out into the desert. Hunk had climbed up and sat tentatively on her other side, offering a weak smile.

“Hey man,” he ventured, “We heard you um, crying before, you good?”

Lance fully expected Pidge to dismiss them, as she stayed silent for beat.

“I just-” she sighed, rubbing her eyes, “I miss my family okay.”

Lance felt a hollow ache in his chest. “Dude, you could not uttered those words in better company.”

She turned to look at him, curious. “Yeah?”

“Oh yeah, a hundred percent,” Lance said scooting closer, “Pidge I’m all the way from Cuba. I left a big 'ole family to pursue my dream, but I still miss them like crazy. And Hunk-” He gestured to the larger boy, “He’s probably got it worse, he’s from Samoa.” 

Pidge’s eyes widened as she turned to look at Hunk. 

“Lance and I were pretty homesick the first semester,” Hunk supplied, “That’s actually why we started coming up here. To hang out and talk about home and look at the stars.”

“Hey,” Lance said gently nudging Pidge’s side in earnest, “Why don’t you join us? Listen it’s tough out here, and it helps to have people you can talk to and laugh about this stuff.”

"And cry with," Hunk added.

“We’re a team,” Lance continued, “And that doesn’t just mean on the flight sims, it also means here. In moments like this. We go it together.”

“Yeah we got your back,” offered Hunk smiling.

Pidge blinked her large eyes owlishly before smiling between the two boys sincerely. 

“I’d like that.”

Lance grinned. “Whew, good, because we definitely need someone small to grab the hamburger buns they keep in the narrow cupboard in the commissary.”

Pidge laughed soundly. “Oh I see, it’ll be that kind of friendship.”

“Hey hey hey, we like to help each other out alright.”

“Speaking of which,” Hunk said excitedly pulling his bag open, “Who wants mooncakes?”

Pidge and Lance eagerly darted forward, scarfing them down gratuitously and reveling in the saccharine sweetness of the pastry. 

“You know,” Pidge mused aloud, leaning back on her hands, “I think it’s funny how we’re eating mooncakes…...at the Galaxy Garrison.”

Lance blinked. “Was that supposed to be a joke....?”

Pidge blushed. “Was it funny?”

“Not even a little bit.” 

“Okay damn, nevermind then,” she said monotonously making Lance break out into laughter. 

That night bled into many. Nights like the one that eventually led three Garrison students into the star systems they'd read about in their textbooks. Nights that pushed three friends to seek each other out in a large alien castle ship when flashes of violence and warfare plagued their dreams. 

Nights that taught three kids whose families were so far away, to find home in each other. 

 

* * *

 

 

Lance found something immensely satisfying from seeing Keith’s wide eyed surprise as the red paladin was unexpectedly knocked to the ground for the second time.

 

The team had spent almost a week flying almost non-stop, stopping on barren planets to rest for nights and then launching once they felt lucid enough. This planet, Sirius X, was the first coalition planet they’d landed on in a while, thus the team decided it would be in their best interest and health to stay for a day or two to gather supplies, food, and map out the rest of their journey home. They sent a message to the planetary council prior to their arrival and found that when they touched down, a large crowd had gathered to welcome the legendary paladins of Voltron. Streamers, banners with the paladins’ faces, and screams of joy bombarded the team as they emerged from their ships. At one point, a stray alien elderly tightly wound themselves around Shiro while sobbing uncontrollably, leaving the rest of the team crying tears of laughter. 

 

Lance heard an ugly snort and had looked over to his right to see that Keith was bent over clutching his stomach, laughing so hard his face matched that of his previous lion. Unbeknownst to him, however, was Lance struggling to internalize the new sensory details he was being given: a) that Keith was capable of laughing that hard and b) that his snort was simultaneously the most hideous and endearing thing Lance had ever heard. He hadn’t realized that he was staring until the other boy composed himself to the best of his ability and shot him a quizzical look. 

 

“The great Keith Kogane snorts like a loser I see,” he’d said.

 

Keith had punched his shoulder playfully. “Oh piss off,” he’d replied grinning. 

 

After somehow prying the individual off of a very apologetic Shiro, the team was led to the castle at the heart of the city. They were told that it no longer hosted monarchs, but more or less became a place for the new council to govern the planet representatively while maintaining communications with the other coalition planets. 

 

As their transportation neared the looming, pearly towers a brief melancholic silence fell over the team. Lance didn’t have to ask to know that they were all thinking of the Castle of Lions. He glanced over at Allura and noticed that her normally tall shoulders lay slumped just slightly has she gazed outside. Lance reached over to give the princess’s shoulder a comforting squeeze. She placed a hand to rest atop of Lance’s assuredly and returned a warm smile before turning back. 

 

Lance noted that his heartbeat stayed steady.

 

Once they were welcomed inside, and shown to their respective rooms, the paladins collectively conked out for the night. 

 

In the early morning hours, Lance heard a knock on his door. His body lay still beneath the sheets, hoping that whatever malevolent entity interrupting his sleep would kindly fuck off. The knock came again and Lance groaned but still made no move to answer the door. He heard a muffled voice behind the door before jamming his pillow over his head.

 

In the next instant, his pillow was knocked to the side as a sudden heavy pressure on his chest knocked the breath out of him. He yelped, flailing helplessly before realizing that his intruder was not trying to kill him, but instead just trying to reach his face to say good morning. 

 

“Nyx you sneaky bastard” Lance laughed as the large animal licked his face enthusiastically. He sat up and rubbed both sides of her massive head before gently placing his forehead against hers.

 

“As much as I enjoy your company, I’m trying to sleep you beautiful she-beast,” he said peering into her large yellow eyes, “So if there’s something you need-”

 

Nyx immediately hopped off the bed and ran to the door. Lance rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine.”

 

She sat obediently but as Lance reached for the door handle, Nyx disappeared. He opened the door to find her and Keith standing expectantly on the other side. Keith was in his paladin undersuit, bayard at his hip with his hair tied up. Unruly jet black strands that weren’t tied back softly framed his face in the early morning sunlight. 

 

Lance’s throat was dry. 

 

“Morning,” Keith said smirking. Lance’s stomach did a weird thing and out of the corner of his eye, he could see Nyx tilt her head curiously at the blue paladin. “I thought you might want to train with me before we have to go and do paladin things.”

 

Lance, now somewhat over the initial shock of seeing Keith’s near ethereal form this early in the day, narrowed his eyes irritably at the other boy.

 

“It’s early as hell you absolute heathen,” he grumbled, to which Keith raised an eyebrow.

 

“I mean, I suppose if I were you I’d want as much rest as possible,” his eyes flashed mischievously, “You know, so when I get my ass handed to me it’ll be a fair enough fight.” 

 

And that was how Lance found himself sparring with Keith on the castle grounds as the sun slowly began to bathe the hills with light. 

 

Keith held back at first, much to Lance’s irritation, allowing him to quickly disarm and knock the red paladin to the ground. After that initial defeat however, he ceased to hold back. Keith fought like he did everything else: with fiery passion and an almost unbridled ferociousness. Lance could understand why his bayard was and has always been the sword; close combat was Keith’s forte. It allowed him to make impulse decisions and use the instinctive skill he innately possessed as a pilot in the battlefield. Lance had studied his fighting technique in detail to better understand how he could support his teammate as a long range fighter. Together, after hours spent training and going over strategy, the two were a near unstoppable duo in battle. 

 

But this was different. Lance’s fighting style had always been about precision. Lining up the perfect shot and waiting for the perfect moment to take out the enemy in a single go. He assumed that his broadsword required some completely different approach once he and Allura had begun training with it, but that was his mistake. 

 

“Lance,” she’d said one day after knocking him to the ground for the seventh time, “You’re not taking note of my fighting style. You can’t charge in blindly, that’s not how you fight.”

 

He huffed, slowly rubbing his back as he stood. He stared petulantly at the broadsword. “I don’t know how else I’m supposed to fight with this thing. It’s not like I can aim and shoot now, can I?”

 

Allura thought for a moment. “I don’t think that’s necessarily true. Though you are now the pilot of the Red Lion, you are still the Guardian Spirit of Water. So continue to emulate that when you fight.”

 

“How?”

 

“Water adapts to its environment. It slowly erodes the stiffest minerals and no one notices until the sediment has been washed away completely. It moves with precision. And that’s exactly how you’ve always fought, so there’s no reason for you to change that completely now that you have a new weapon. You must adapt.”

 

She swung her sword expertly as she continued. “Anticipate your opponent's next move, Lance. Parry their offense, observe how they attack, and adapt and react.” She met his gaze and smiled. “Erode their defenses until you can strike the final blow.”

 

Something clicked in his head. “Like chess!” he had exclaimed to her. Her beautiful face twisted in confusion. He quickly explained the rules of the Earthen game to her, and she nodded agreeably. “Yes, then it’s exactly like chess.” 

 

Perfect. 

 

So as their swords clanged in the morning humidity and as Lance could feel his muscles ache with exertion, he carefully mapped out his plan of attack. Keith was a formidable opponent, and at first it seemed that the most he could do was simply defend himself from endless offensive maneuvers. But after a while, he began to pick up patterns amongst the chaos. How Keith would feign to the left when they got too close, how his upward maneuver was reserved for when he thought Lance would swing back, and most importantly, how he relied on his endless offense to hide the fact that he never protected his right side. 

 

In a split second, Lance parried a particularly striking blow with enough force to knock Keith back a step. Before he could properly regain his footing and charge again, Lance swiped at the boy’s right leg to which the red paladin jumped away from last minute. Seeing as he was now significantly off balance, Lance struck with his broadsword to knock Keith’s bayard to the side while swiping at the other boy’s legs again, knocking him on the ground. 

 

He took a step forward, placing the tip of his sword, underneath the raven haired pilot’s chin.

 

“Checkmate.”

 

At first neither of them moved, silence broken only by the sound of both boys trying to catch their breath. Nyx, who had been sitting peacefully under the shade of a large tree a few yards away, had come over and was now looking between the two paladins expectantly. Then, Keith’s mouth slowly unfurled into a broad grin.

 

“Not bad, Lance,” he said, smiling at the other boy brilliantly. Lance was still panting, and the sight of Keith, flushed and sweaty on the ground  _ while  _ he praised Lance’s fighting skill was not helping the recovery process whatsoever. He shrunk his bayard down to its original size, but before he could reach a hand to help Keith up, he felt a deliberate push from behind catching him off balance and forcing him to collapse on top of the red paladin.

 

“Oof,” Keith let out, as he bore the full weight of Lance on his chest. 

 

“Holy shit, I’m sorry,”Lance garbled out as he pushed himself onto his forearms. “I’m-” 

 

He froze, unsure of how to appropriately process the proximity of his face to Keith’s. 

 

This close, he could see where the sweaty strands of hair that had escaped Keith’s ponytail had stuck to his forehead in sweaty clumps. His eyes raked over the Keith’s small nose, adorned with the same pale freckles that also sporadically decorated his pale cheeks. Lance could also see the just how pink Keith’s slowly healing scar was, a violent new addition to a face Lance was once more familiar with. He reeked of sweat, and grass, and just overall  _ boy,  _ but for whatever reason…..Lance didn’t hate it? In fact, quite the opposite-

 

Keith violet irises narrowed so that he was almost cross eyed. “Is there something on my face?” he asked grumpily.

 

‘No but I know something that should be,’ Lance’s subconscious instinctually offered before his conscious beat it back with a bat.

 

“No um,” he pushed himself all the way off, before helping Keith up, “Sorry I must have crushed you with all this uh, thickness.” He waggled his eyebrows and Keith burst out laughing.

 

“Yeah okay, if twigs were considered thick I suppose,” he laughed out. 

 

Lance’s could feel his cheeks redden, “How dare you you little-

 

Keith held his hands up, still giggling. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it.” He smiled crookedly at Lance. “Old habits die hard I guess.”

 

Lance was starting to feel dizzy, so he sat back on his hands to watch the grass sway with the morning breeze. Or what he assumed was grass considering it was a far brighter green than anything he’d seen on Earth. 

 

Keith joined him and the two shared a comfortable silence watching the sun continue its ascent. Nyx, trotted over and planted herself between the two paladins, also silently content to just sit peacefully. Lance side eyed her, knowing fully well what she did, but with her tongue lolling out as the gentle breeze ruffled her dark fur, he couldn’t find it in himself to say anything. 

 

Instead, he turned his face to Keith, “Hey mullet.”

 

Keith, who had been sitting with his eyes closed and face tilted towards the sun, opened an eye to peer at Lance. “Yeah?”

 

“Let’s play 20 questions.”

 

Keith turned his head curiously. “Why?”

 

Lance rolled his eyes, “Just because you edgelord. Not everything has to have some hidden agenda.”

 

“Fine,” Keith frowned, “You first.”

 

“Do you have a secret talent?”

 

He thought for a moment. “Um..I can play the guitar?”

 

Lance’s eyes widened. “No way dude, me too!”

 

Keith grinned at the other boy’s enthusiasm. “Yeah, my pop used to play and he taught me.” Keith looked out, bringing his knees to his chest, resting his chin delicately on his forearms. “He’d take me up to the rooftop to go stargazing and sometimes he’d bring his old guitar so we could sing together.” Keith smiled softly. “Buddy by Willie Nelson was his favorite. We’d play that one a lot.”

 

The idea of a young Keith watching the stars and singing about friendship with his father was unbearably endearing. “Dude, that’s really cool. I’m glad you had that with your dad.”

 

“Yeah me too,” Keith said smiling. He turned to Lance. “What about you? How’d you learn?”

 

Lance leaned further back on his arms. “Well, I’m the youngest, not counting my twin Rhea, out of four siblings and I wanted to have a thing that was very distinctly mine and no one else’s. So, I asked my mama for piano lessons and she said, ‘Leandro these scammers are going to bankrupt us.’ So instead she introduced me to this girl Zara Luisa, whose mom always came by our shop and who could play really really well.”

 

“I started lessons with her, and found that I learned pretty fast. Part of it was because I really enjoyed learning music and kinda had a knack for it and the other part was because I had a huge crush on Zara and wanted to impress her really bad.”

 

Keith chuckled. “Very in character.”

 

“Shut up,” Lance laughed. “So anyways, one day on my way to her place, I stopped by an old thrift mart and found this sweet acoustic guitar for like $7. And from then on, whenever I wasn’t jamming out on the keys, I was jamming out on my six string, like the multi-instrumental prodigy I am.”

 

Keith shook his head. “Humble, too.”

 

Lance winked. “You know it.” He mirrored Keith’s pose. “Okay my turn again. What is….your favorite ice cream flavor?”

 

“Mint chocolate chip,” he said without hesitation.

 

Lance wrinkled his nose. “Ugh, that’s gross, but whatever it suits you I guess.”

 

He could see Keith open his mouth to argue so he interrupted, “BUP, your turn.”

 

“You’re so annoying,” Keith huffed without malice, “Tell me about your family.”

 

“Keith you uncultured swine, that’s not how you play.”

 

“Oh my go-fine. Lance, what is your favorite family memory?”

 

Lance thought for a moment, before it came to him. “My mom and dad’s anniversary party right before I left for the Garrison.” He felt his smile grow as the day came back to him. “So we invited the whole family, because it was their 20th, and we wanted to do something special. My siblings, Luis, Marco, Rhea and Veronica, and I planned this all out like a week prior so everything would be perfect. The girls dressed my mama up and Marco and I helped my papa get ready. Neither of them knew what was happening until we marched them out to the beach where the rest of the family was. We decorated the boardwalk with lights, flowers and balloons and I performed a song for them and then they renewed their vows.”

 

Lance laughed. “Yeah, there was not a singly dry eye that night. My parents have always been that couple in the family. The highschool sweethearts that fell in love and then never fell out of it. So seeing them celebrate 20 years together, and seeing that love still so strong was just too much for all of us.” He sighed contently. “You know, mathematically, I don’t believe in soulmates but...if they exist, my parents are definitely each others.” 

 

He looked back at Keith who had been listening attentively, a small smile playing at his lips. There was something...odd about how he was staring back at Lance. Something resting just behind his dark eyes that Lance couldn’t quite make out. “What?” he teased, “Is there something on my face?”

 

“Nah,” Keith said softly, “That was just..really sweet.”

 

Lance felt his cheeks warm. “Yeah, heh.” He nervously rubbed the back of his head. “So, um, your mom. You guys spent some time together on that space whale quantum thing, right? Did you learn anything about how your parents met or....?”

 

“Yeah actually,” Keith replied, stretching out a hand out to scratch Nyx behind the ears. “My mom was trying to protect the Blue Lion when she crashed on Earth.”

 

“Hold up,” Lance interrupted, “She like crash landed, crash landed? Like straight out of E.T. crash landed?”

 

“Well if you’d let me continue-”

 

“Sorry! Proceed, oh mullet of mine.”

 

Lance saw Keith’s cheeks pinken before he continued. “She had orders from the Blade to keep Zarkon’s army from getting ahold of more weaponry, so she went undercover and joined the army ranks as a scout. During a reconnaissance mission by Earth, she ended up having to fight off another soldier who was going to send Blue’s coordinates back to headquarters. Her ship got wrecked so she was pulled through the atmosphere and crashed in the desert. Lucky for her, my dad lived out there.” 

 

He smiled to himself. “While figuring out a way to go back, she felt some energy calling out to her, like I did,  and the two of them found Blue in that cave. She decided to stay and protect her, in case anyone else decided to stop by Earth. Some point after that, she fell in love with my dad. And then she had me.”

 

“So you’re telling me,” Lance mused, trying to keep a straight face, “That your dad saw an alien babe crash land in his backyard and thought to himself: ‘Yo dude, imma smash that’ and then did?! Wow, an icon, honestly.” 

 

Keith was choking. “LANCE,” he wheezed out, embarrassedly slapping his hands over his face, “Ugh, I really didn’t ever want to think about my parents like oh my god-”

 

Lance was howling. “Wow, I’m hilarious,” he said wiping tears from his eyes and then dodging a Keith’s near fatal shoulder punch.

 

“God, you’re the worst,” said the other paladin shaking his dark head.

 

Lance sobered up a little. “Hey, uh, you don’t actually think that right?”

 

Keith’s face softened. “No. I don’t.”

 

Lance laughed nervously. “Right, duh, we’re besties for life.”

 

The other boy raised an eyebrow. “What, no more neck and neck rival nonsense?”

 

“Oi, it wasn’t nonsense, and we’re STILL rivals,” Lance grinned, “But we can be friends, too.”

 

Keith’s expression was bright. “I guess I can work with that.”

 

Lance ducked his head staring back out at the rolling hills. There was still something he couldn’t quite understand. 

 

“So,” he began tentatively, “Why did she leave? Your mom, I mean.”

 

“I thought we were supposed to take turns, Lance.”

 

“Humor me.”

 

“Hypocrite.” A pause. “She thought that being a target was too dangerous for me and my dad. So, she saw leaving as her only option.”

 

With sudden conviction, Lance turned himself towards Keith. “She left you alone though. I just-I know it’s not my place, but I can’t help feeling like that’s not a good enough reason, you know?”

 

Keith followed suit, looking steadily back at him. “Trust me, I’ve had 18 years and then some to be angry at her for leaving us behind. But in that time getting to know her, I learned that she really thought what she was doing was for the best. She regrets the hurt and the separation, but she had to make a hard decision then so we’d have chance.” He looked down at Nyx, gently carding his fingers through her fur. “She left to protect the people she loved the most.”

 

Lance let a beat of silence pass before sighing and also reaching out to scratch Nyx’s side. “I’m not letting her off the hook, but I’m happy you found her. You seem...more sure of yourself than you did before.”

 

Keith looked at him kindly. “I’d like to think so.” He looked down at Nyx. “You were wrong though. Before, I mean. I was never really alone.”

 

“I had my dad, and then Shiro and now the team.” He looked at Lance. “It took me two years on the back of a space whale to realize that I’ve had to struggle a lot, but...I always end up finding my family in the end. And that they’re always worth the fight.”

 

“Even me, your sworn rival?” Lance meant to say teasingly, but his voice sounded more breathless than he had intended. 

 

He met Lance’s eyes, something molten stirring just below the surface. “Especially you.”

 

Lance couldn’t breathe. There were ten thousand things racing through his mind in that moment, and some revelation slowly bubbling its way to the top of a cacophony of emotion when he felt his hand, buried in Nyx’s fur, brush against something. His eyes flicked down to see Keith’s still fingers resting gently against his. 

 

“Keith-”

 

“There you guys are!”

 

Pidge’s voice broke through the thick silence and Lance jerked back to see that she and Hunk were slowly making their way towards them. 

 

Something pooled at the bottom of Lance’s gut. Disappointment? Annoyance? He wasn’t really given the opportunity to figure it out before the green and yellow paladins reached them. 

 

“Mornin’ man,” Hunk smiled looking down at them, “Whatcha guys upto?”

 

He heard Keith reply from beside him. “We were just sparring before the day started.”

 

“Cool, cool. Well we just came up to see if either of you wanted to come down to the market place with us. The councilman-er-council alien Ismani needed us to grab some materials for a project they’re going to show us after the event tonight.”

 

Lance blinked in confusion. “Event..?”

 

“Yeah doofus,” Pidge replied, now crouching to scratch Nyx’s side, “They were telling us about it last night. You know, the big welcoming formal thing they’re throwing in our honor? I thought you of all people would be all over that.”

 

Lance felt a flare of irritation. “My bad, I was kind of exhausted after flying for 21 hours straight so I may have tuned them out.” He could see Nyx out of the corner of his eye, tilt her head knowingly. 

 

Pidge looked suddenly sheepish. “You’re right, sorry.” That was new... “So, uh, do you wanna come with?”

 

Lance really didn’t really want to go with Pidge and Hunk, but he also needed supplies for Blue, Kaltenecker and now apparently clothes for the event. He sighed. “Yeah, I guess I can come.”

 

Pidge smiled at him before looking above his shoulder. “Keith?”

 

The red paladin had stood up, slowly stretching his arms over his head. “Nah, I’m good. I’m heading to the showers and then meeting Coran for something.” He looked at Lance. “Do you mind if Nyx joins you? I was gonna take her out today but duty-or whatever Coran could possibly need from me- calls.”

 

Lance stood as well calling the massive hound to him. “Sure thing mullet, she likes me better anyways.”

 

“Hey!”

 

“Protest all you want, but  _ I’m _ the animal whisperer,” he replied smugly. 

 

Keith shook his head. “Yeah whatever cargo pilot, just don’t let her wander off.” 

 

“I’m offended you even have to remind me that.” 

 

“Later Lance,” he laughed, staring at the blue paladin almost imperceptibly longer than normal, before starting back to the castle. 

 

Lance felt a large hand clap his shoulder. 

 

“Finally, after all these months,” Hunk said smiling at him,  “We get to do something I’d never thought we’d do again.”

 

And despite Lance’s apprehension, he felt his face break out into a smile, a long lost fondness for his best friend reinvigorating his chest. “Oh yeah buddy, Valdes and  Paealii take on-”

 

They draped their arms around each other. “SHOPPING!” they yelled in unison.

 

Pidge snorted. “C’mon guys.”

//

The market place was set up like an open air version of the space mall. 

Vendors yelled at them to stop by their booths or tents, waving clothes, knives, or the occasional fruit. Or, at least what Lance thought was fruit. 

Pidge and Hunk found what they were looking for almost immediately in a repairs and mechanics tent brimming with randomized parts from alien tech all over the galaxy. With that errand out of the way the three paladins began to meander through the marketplace, making their way from booth to booth window shopping, and much to Lance’s surprise, enjoying each other’s company. They found Nyx, teleporting into tents or onto vendors themselves the most amusing as no merchant knew exactly how to react when a massive hound suddenly materialized on top of their produce. 

Yet, despite the easy way in which the three paladins fell into each other, Lance could still feel himself hold back, making sure to watch what he said in the off chance that it became fodder for ridicule. It seemed like a solid plan, but in reality only tired him mentally. Not being able to be his full self around people he once could was a thought that slowly ate at him as they sifted through formal attire in a what looked like a deconstructed haberdashery. 

He fingered a red ribbon lost in thought, when he felt a nudge at his side.

“Hey,” Pidge grinned, “Find anything?”

It took a moment for him to reel himself back and process her question. “Ah, no. Just lookin. Hey, what type of attire are we supposed to be looking for anyways?”

She shook her bushy head. “Our formal wear is already set.” Lance looked at her puzzlingly. “Yeah, Allura had old diplomatic uniforms stored in Black, because that lion is crazy big, so we’ll be wearing those.” 

“Oh, so then why are we here?”

“For accessories!” She held up a closed fist. “And I think I found you something.” 

Pidge opened her hand, and settled in her palm was something achingly familiar. A small, off white scallop shell lay delicately nestled between two even smaller horn snail shells. Pidge picked it up to show Lance the back. “It’s a brooch! And yeah, yeah, I know brooches are for grandmothers and vaguely cat scented librarians but I just thought you’d want it since it is legitimately from Earth.”

Lance opened his mouth to ask but she beat him to it. “I asked. Apparently some hitchhikers stopped by Earth and took things with them and this somehow ended up here.”

“Anyways, we’re really close to home, and you always talked about the beach back at the Garrison and uh-” She swallowed nervously before looking at her feet, “You seemed down lately and I know haven’t been the best of friends to you and IjustwanttosayI’mreallysorryLance.” The last part came out as a a rushed garble but Lance had gotten the message. He stood still, unsure of whether this was actually happening.

“Did,  _ the _ Pidge Holt…..just apologize to me?”

“Yes she did,” Hunk said coming over from where he had been browsing, “And I should too, man, I’ve-I haven’t been there for you lately.”

He cleared his throat the way Lance knew he did when he was fighting back tears. “You-god I’m trying really hard not to cry here-you literally died. And I-” Hunk folded his arms over his chest, reaching a hand up to cover mouth. “I didn’t come find you afterwards? I just...I was so shocked and then like you got out of the cryopod and didn’t talk about it so then I didn’t talk about it but I should have checked to see if you were okay-”

“I’m no better!” Pidge interrupted eyes glistening. “I didn’t take your thing for Allura seriously and it shouldn’t have taken figuring out that Lotor was just as much of a genocidal maniac as his dad to realize that what I said was insensitive and-”

Lance looked between the two, both on the cusp of tears. He held up reassuring hands. “Guys, it’s fine-”

“No it’s not!” Hunk exclaimed, “I know you’re saying that because you’re you and wanna keep the peace, but dude, I’m you best friend, if you even wanna still call me that, and I know you. I know you’ve been avoiding us and it sucks so hard because I see you everyday and I still miss you-”

“You’re a brother to me Lance,” Pidge said voice catching, “God, you always have been, and I’m just sorry I-”

“Lance I’m also sorry for-”

“Guys!” Lance’s voice was firm and the two immediately quieted. “Can I talk?”

Mutely, they both nodded. 

He took a deep breath. “I was-am-mad at you two. For making fun of legitimate feelings I had for someone. For, god, not checking up on me when I literally pulled a fast one and came back from the dead,” the back of his eyes stung, but he grated his teeth and continued on, “And for leaving me alone for so long. I-I felt so useless and isolated from everyone and, ironically, most from you two.”

He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “I expected to have my best friends there for me like I’ve always been for them, but you two weren’t.” He paused, looking at Hunk and Pidge’s tear tracked faces looking back at him with expressions of guilt, sadness and remorse shifting from one to the other. “But...the fact that you came to this on your own, which is not to be commended or anything mind you, shows me that you two have probably thought about it enough to realize what complete and utter asses you’ve been.”

They shook their heads vigorously.

 

"We've been garbage."

 

"Oh yeah, like grade A garbage."

 

Lance had to break his neutrality to smile. “And though, this” he gestured to the misshapen booth they stood in, “Is the most random and least appropriate place to apologize to your one of a kind best friend-- I’ll accept it.”

Before he knew what was happening, the two had crushed him against them in a tight embrace. Almost instinctively, Lance wrapped his arms around both their necks, face shoved simultaneously against Hunks broad shoulder and Pidge’s fluffy head.

This was every Garrison simulation aced, every late night commissary run that went undetected, every rooftop board game night, every second of friendship summarized in a sensation. He blinked back tears, feeling an anvil of pressure suddenly lifted from his chest as he pulled back and looked at his two best friends smiling their crooked, watery smiles. 

“God, I missed you guys,” he pointed a finger at them, “Don’t you EVER pull this shit again.”

“What everything before or just apologizing in an alien open market?” Pidge asked struggling to swallow her giggles. 

“Pidge-”

She held up her hands. “No, I know Lance. I promise,” she looked at Hunk determinedly, “We won’t. And uh, we missed you like crazy, too.”

Hunk nodded. “Oh yeah, I love Pidge, but her comedic timing pales in comparison to yours buddy.”

“I’M---not even gonna lie, he’s so right.” 

“God both of you are losers,” Lance said rolling his eyes fondly, “You can’t have just nerdy STEM kids in a friend group, there’s gotta be the cool, suave and hilarious STEM kid to lighten the load, you know?”

“Well then thank god Nyx is a part of our friend group now so she can help us, huh?”

 

“I hate you,” Lance laughed, shoving her shoulder as she beamed back. At the sound of her name, Nyx who had been wandering farther back, suddenly appeared beside Pidge, licking her face intently. 

The three paladins laughed as Nyx made her rounds, affectionately assaulting them each in turn until they gathered themselves and resumed shopping, significantly happier than they’d all been in a long time. 

//

Later that night, as Lance carefully plaited Pidge’s hair in his room, Hunk, adjusting his suit in the bathroom, decided to put his excellent memory to use. 

“Hey Lance?” 

“Mmmm?” Lance hummed with pins in his mouth.

“Earlier today, did you say you..had feelings for Allura? Like as in you currently don’t?”

Lance’s hands stilled and Pidge turned her auburn head to peer at the other boy. He pulled the pins out if his mouth and tried to provide an adequate response. 

“Um-”

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to!” Hunk added quickly, sticking his disheveled head from the bathroom. “I just remembered and was curious if that was a slip of the tongue or..?”

Lance was silent for a moment. “Well, I--I actually accepted the fact that she doesn't see me that way.”

Pidge turned her head further. “I heard a ‘but’ in that sentence.”

Lance huffed rotating her head back so it was facing forward. “Don’t mess up my progress, gremlin.” He sighed. “But-”

Pidge raised a finger in anticipation.

“-I wish I could just talk to her about it, you know? To kinda just put it to rest once and for all.”

Pidge turned slightly much to Lance’s chagrin. “Why don’t you?”

“I-I don’t know how I guess? I wouldn’t know how to bring it up and it’s such a weird topic and not to mention she probably doesn’t want to hear about my nonsense with everything going on-”

“Lance,” Pidge laughed, “You’re rambling.”

“Sorry,” he said sheepishly. 

“No, it’s fine dude. And yeah, I get that it’s a weird topic but I’m sure once you approach her sincerely and just hash it out, things shouldn’t be too terrible.”

“Also,” Hunk offered emerging from the bathroom, hair half done, to grab his brush from the bed, “Allura’s reasonable. She’s not gonna get mad at you for trying to better your relationship with her by getting some closure.”

Pidge piped up. “And I’m sure she probably needs a friend now more than ever after everything with Lotor. You trying to reach out shows that you care enough to want to honor her feelings and move on.”

“She’ll appreciate it!” Hunk called from behind the door.

“Hm,” Lance mused, “I guess you’re right. Just when is the question...”

“How about now?” Pidge supplied.

“I’m kinda in the middle of something Pidge. Plus, I still have to do my hair and-”

“I didn’t mean right this moment doofus. I meant once you’re done getting ready, just head on over to her room. We still have like an hour or two until the event, and that way, you can talk to her alone.”

 

"I think....you know what I think I'll do that."

 

"Good," Pidge said smiling. 

 

Lance braided the last bit of Pidge's hair and tucked it into the updo she had requested of him. he turned her towards him, admiring his work. "Daaayum Pidgeon, you're lookin' goood."

Pidge flushed. "Really?" She bolted up and looked at herself in the mirror. Her messy bangs had grown out a bit, but without her glasses and with her thick hair carefully pinned up, Pidge looked just a touch above her normal cute. She turned her head, smiling at Lance's work before turning back to him. "I love it!"

"Yeah you'd better, I pricked myself like three times."

 

She rolled her eyes. "Oh wait," she fished something from here pocket. "Almost forgot." She pulled out the brooch from the marketplace, and carefully pinned it to Lance's lapel. "There, you're now very clearly, the Guardian Spirit of Water." 

 

Lance stood to appraise his appearance. The paladin formal wear was the closest Lance felt like any of them would get to looking like royalty. The tops were well fitting suit jackets in rich colors indicative of their lions. Lance stood tall, the royal blue jacket clinging nicely to his long torso, gold embroidering delicately laced along the high collar and shoulders, pattern briefly broken by the seashell brooch Pidge had placed on his breast. His long legs were also accentuated by well fitting white trousers that tucked into knee high boots.  

 

At the moment, his naturally springy curls were pinned back. He took them out, carding his fingers through them, contemplating how to style them.

 

"I think you should leave 'em like that," Hunk said from behind him. Lance turned and whistled at the other boy's appearance. "Whoo, okay Hunk, I see you."

 

Hunk grinned. "You like?" Hunk's attire was nearly identical to Lance's save the colors as Hunk's jacket was a rich ochre that contrasted nicely with fitted black trousers and boots. He'd taken off his headscarf in favor of letting his naturally wavy hair loosely frame his face. 

 

"Be still my tender heart, of course I like!" Lance exclaimed truthfully.

 

Hunk laughed. "Stop you flatter me," He gestured to Lance's hair, "But seriously keep it like that. It's like effortless, tousled curls you know? Like shampoo commercial worthy."

 

Lance wiped an imagined tear from his eyes. "Hunk, have I every told you that you are truly the light of my life?"

 

"Pfft, not nearly enough so please, continue."

 

Lance laughed and swung an arm around both Pidge and Hunk reeling them to stand in front of the tall mirror. 

 

"Wow look at us," Lance breathed out, "We're all so-hot."

The three snickered while staring at each other appraisingly. 

Hunk squeezed his shoulder. "Pidge and I have to meet up with Coran soon, and you," he said looking at Lance through the mirror, "Have a friend you need to talk to."

 

Pidge beamed at him as well. "You got this."

 

He looked between them, grateful for their counsel, their existence, their friendship. "I got this." 

//

Lance walked the length of the hall, his boots loudly clacking against the smooth marble floors. His palms were sweaty and his nerves were starting to manifest, but with steely resolve, he pushed forward.

‘I got this,’ he assured himself again, ‘This is what friends do. We communicate, we talk things out we-’

 

“UGH SHIRO WHY.”

Lance’s pace slowed at the sound of Keith’s exasperated voice as he neared a door that seemed to fall just before his destination. 

“Keith, it’s not that hard, just breath, remember: patience-”

“Shiro if you finish that with ‘yields focus’ I will chop off your other arm.”

“Wow, okay, rude.”

Lance couldn’t help but grin listening to their sibling banter as he approached the door,  just slightly ajar. He peered inside, seeing Shiro resting against a bedpost as he stared amusedly at Keith who was blocked from Lance’s view. 

Shiro looked unfairly handsome in his black and gold embroidered suit, white hair styled back elegantly off his face. 

“Why do we have to wear this stupid thing anyway,” said Keith’s voice from somewhere he couldn’t see, “I could just have easily-no more easily-gone in my paladin armor. But nooo, I have to wear this thing and do up 10,000 buttons for the rest of eternity-”

Lance bit his lip, suppressing the bubbling laughter in his throat as he listened on. 

Shiro rolled his eyes. “It’s a formal event Keith, and in our honor no less. Battle armor isn’t really appropriate.” He smirked. “Besides, it’s nice to look this good for once.”

Keith snorted. “Yeah, live it up now grandpa. Your hair color’s already gone, won’t be long ‘til your looks leave you too.”

Shiro sputtered. “Keith, I swear to the black lion I will drop kick you so hard..”

“Oh yeah-” Keith’s voice was deadpan save for the slight tremor indicative of his effort to refrain from laughing. “You and what-”

Oh no. Lance knew where this was going and he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to maintain his covert presence. It seemed Shiro did too as the older man’s eyes widened measurably.

“Keith don’t you dare. Don’t you dare finish that terrible pun in my household-”

“ARM-y.”

Lance lost it. He bent over covering his mouth in embarrassment over the traitorous peal of laughter that had escaped his lips causing Shiro to jump. Lance felt the cool air from the sudden opening of the door hit as he ducked his face.

“What the-Lance?”

Busted. 

Lance looked up, smiling, and nearly choked. 

Keith’s suit was exactly like Lance’s and the rest of the paladins save for the color. The top was a deep red that contrasted nicely with Keith’s pale skin, while the trousers were a black tucking into black boots.

Lance unashamedly let his eyes rove over how fitted the jacket shoulders were to Keith’s now slightly broader form. He could see what Keith had been complaining about before as the top half of his jacket’s buttons lay dreadfully undone, leaving a sharp collarbone and strong chest on full display. Lance felt his cheeks flush violently as his eyes swept upward. Keith’s hair had been tied half up, while his unruly bangs were elegantly swept to the side, leaving much more of his face for Lance to drink in than usual.

Said face was staring back wide eyed, and cheeks pink and Lance felt breathless. Normally he’d have characterized Keith’s current appearance as rogue prince turned pirate, but that really wasn’t the case. Because staring back at him was just...Keith. Freckled only across his nose and cheekbones, Thick eyebrows furrowed just slightly because when weren’t they, lips full and lifted into a tiny smile. Even the jaggedness of the new scar seemed more muted, only accentuating the boy’s already extraordinary features. 

Lance felt  his heart clench painfully. He was pretty sure he was having a heart attack. This had to be a heart attack, right? There truly was no other logical explanation to his very physical reaction to seeing Keith mere hours after they’d been together in the morning. 

Because, c'mon...this was  _ Keith _ . 

 

Rival turned friend. Pilot of the black lion. The solider who bled fiery passion into everything he did. The kid who Lance sat behind in a flight theory class simultaneously wanting to kick his chair and become fast friends. The desert wild child that drove them off a cliff and into space. His other half in battle. The most unexpected deadpan dork humor to ever manifest into a person. A boy who found his family. A boy who left his family. A boy who had returned.

A boy.

A boy who was making Lance’s heart stutter unevenly as his wide indigo eyes searched Lance’s face for an answer to a question Lance wasn’t entirely sure he’d been asked.

This had to be a heart attack.

Because there was only one other time he’d ever come remotely close to feeling like this. Only one other time-

“Oh! Well, hello paladins. 

Allura had emerged from her room, looking near ethereal in a backless white dress that twinkled towards the bottom like starlight and moved as such. Her thick white hair had been gathered expertly at the base of her neck in an elegant updo, with loose, white strands softly framing her face. 

She smiled sweetly at them. “Are you all almost ready?”

“Almost, princess.” Keith said clearing his throat.

Lance flicked his eyes back to Keith. 

Keith.

Who Lance, with a freight train revelation, realized was as beautiful as the sunrise they’d watched that morning.

Who made his heart skip like it did the first time an Altean princess fell into his arms those many months ago.

_ Oh.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bi awakenings are always fun, no? 
> 
> Finally some Pidge/Hunk/Lance resolution. I just want them to be friends and good friends at that, bc Lord knows I've been in Lance's shoes before. 
> 
> The last two chapters are (hopefully) gonna be done before s7 releases so be on the lookout!
> 
> Also if anyone would like to draw the characters in their fancy wear and tag me on [tumblr](http://astromullet.tumblr.com/) I would owe you like my life or something but no biggie. 
> 
> Keep leaving comments, I love reading your thoughts and opinions!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith bit his lip, mouth quirked upward. “Promise you won’t laugh.”
> 
> “I may be physically unable, but I’ll try.”
> 
> “It’s…..Uptown Girl...by Billy Joel…” he muttered.
> 
> “PFFFFFT-ow!” Keith hit him where his hand was on Lance’s back.
> 
> “Lance you promised-”
> 
> “I know man but it’s just so cute,” Lance felt his chest flutter, “Am-Am I your uptown girl Keith?”
> 
> Keith struggled valiantly to keep the blush and smile from creeping across his face. “Shut up Lance-”
> 
> “When I’m walkin am I lookin’ fine?” Lance continued despite Keith’s protests. “Oh my god, Keith are you my backstreet guy-”
> 
> “I’m leaving,” Keith said laughing, and started to pull away from Lance’s grip. In a moment of reckless impulse, Lance shot his arm out and pulled the other boy back. Where before, there had been some polite distance between them, the momentum forced them flush against each other.
> 
> Lance felt them both stiffen. For the second time that day, he found himself incredibly close to Keith’s face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Councilman Ismani looks like the general lady from Lilo and Stitch, just FYI
> 
> Also a lot happens in this one, so happy reading!

Lance was 11 when his oldest sister, Veronica, asked him for advice.

 

Veronica Idania Valdes was the family’s golden child. She was the straight A, easy going, third degree black belt possessing, science nerd, first child that the rest of the family constantly compared their kids to. 

 

She was also the eldest of three other siblings and took that role exceptionally seriously. 

 

When the shop was busy, as it usually was, it was Veronica who took the rest of her siblings to school.  She once concocted a brilliant plan to sneak her brother Marco to his first concert without their parents ever finding out and then did. In the summers, she accompanied Rhea and Lance on their seaside adventures when she could, and was the one to patch her youngest brother up when he returned bruised and bloodied that stormy afternoon. On quiet nights, she made it a point to take all her siblings out on the ocean on a small rowboat so they could all just be around each other, happy to tell jokes, sing songs and look for constellations. 

 

Lance loved all his siblings equally, but he learned a lot of things from Veronica.

 

Things like vulnerability. 

 

The night before her 17th birthday, Lance found Veronica sitting out on the beach. He sat with her for a bit, comfortable in their shared silence, before she spoke out. 

 

“Leandro, can I tell you something?”

 

Lance, curiosity piqued, nodded assuredly. 

 

She took a deep breath, looking back out at the ocean. “I’m gay.”

 

Lance, then 11 years old, was knowledgeable enough to know what this meant, but unable to understand why his older sister sounded winded as she said it. 

 

He blinked. “Does this mean you only like girls?”

 

She nodded, still not looking at him. “Yeah.”

 

“Have you told anyone else?”

 

She turned her head, wild curls dancing in the seabreeze. “No. I--I wanted to tell everyone tomorrow, but-I’m nervous.”

 

Lance furrowed his brow. “Why?”

 

“I don’t-I just don’t want anyone to treat me any differently, you know?”

 

Lance scooted closer and placed a small hand on her shoulder. “Ronnie, I doubt anyone will. We all love you a lot, and it’s gonna take way more than you liking girls for you to lose your golden child pedestal in the family.”

 

Veronica smiled, cheeks dimpling. “Yeah, I suppose you’re not wrong there.”

 

Lance rolled his eyes. “If anything, I think this will help everyone understand why you poured soda onto our neighbor Mateo in panic when he tried to kiss you last summer.”

 

Veronica roared with laughter, voice carrying along the silent coastline. 

 

“Wow that was pretty bad, huh? I’m surprised no one figured it out right then.” Her expression softened. “Thanks chiquito. I wasn’t planning on telling anyone in advance, but I’m glad it was you.”

 

He bumped shoulders with her. “No prob, Ronnie. I’ll be there no matter what.”

 

The next day, in the afternoon twilight, amidst streamers and cake filled stomachs, Veronica squared her shoulders and delivered her truth. And when the entire family collapsed on top of their beloved eldest daughter in warm embraces and promises of unconditional acceptance, her watery eyes sought out Lance’s, and the two shared smiles that echoed in their cheeks for weeks after. 

 

* * *

 

“Lance, are you alright?”

 

Allura’s voice broke Lance out his pensive daze. He glanced over to where she was, casually resting against the desk on the far corner of the room with a look of concern etched onto her face. 

 

He shook his head. “Yeah, I’m good.”

 

“Well, are you going to stop lingering by the door as if you want to flee and tell me what you wanted to talk about?”

 

Lance laughed nervously. “Right, sorry.” He crossed the room and stood beside her. He could feel her looking at him attentively and tried to steady his nerves. 

 

He crossed his arms. “Allura, I want to start off by saying...I’m sorry. If I’ve ever made you uncomfortable or weirded out by my behavior in the past, I want to say that I never intended to do that.”

 

“For the longest time, I saw a beautiful alien princess and warrior and couldn’t see anything else. I wanted a chance with you so bad that I ignored what you wanted at times and just ploughed ahead with my next romantic ploy to impress you or get you to like me back.”

 

He took a deep breathe, unsure what to make of Allura’s lack of interruption before mowing ahead. “And then we got closer, and actually became good friends and I realized that my feelings ran deeper than I initially thought. But...yours still hadn’t changed. And with everything that’s happened recently, I realized that I’d rather be your friend in spite of how I felt, than an estranged teammate bitter about an unreciprocated crush.”

 

Lance finally turned to look at her. Allura’s face was open and kind as she looked back at the blue paladin, ever patient. “I just wanted to talk to you about it, to get some closure,” he finished tentatively.

 

Allura smiled warmly and then, without saying anything, pulled Lance into a tight hug. He wrapped his arms around her back, a feeling of relief slowly ebbing his previous apprehension away. 

 

“I’m so glad you wanted to talk to me,” he heard her say over his shoulder. She pulled back to look at him, still holding onto his shoulders. “Lance, I forgave you ages ago for what you talked about. I knew it was harmless, albeit a little persistent at first.”

 

She laughed. “But really, I care for you deeply. Your friendship has meant the world to me, and your presence brings me comfort I hadn't known in a long time. You might even be my best friend.”

 

“Don’t let Hunk hear you say that,” he chuckled. 

 

“I’ll be discreet,” she teased. “You’re one of the few people in this universe I trust completely with my life. I’m sure others on the team feel the same way.”

 

Her blue and pink irises sparkled. “You remember, in Naxzela, when you told me I was the heart of Voltron?” Lance nodded. “Well I thought about that moment a lot. About how, in the face of almost certain death, you were still able to lift the team, and steady me to do what I had to do to get us to safety.” She squeezed his shoulders, eyes focused. “I thought, well if I’m the heart of Voltron, then surely Lance must be the soul.”

 

Lance could feel his heart expand, a wide smile stretch itself across his face. “Allura…” 

 

“I’m serious. You’ve done a lot for us Lance. For the universe,” she smiled at him. “For me. I don’t think I could ever adequately repay you.”

 

Lance smirked. “You could….let me win at least once when we spar?”

 

She raised an eyebrow. “Now who would that help?”

 

“My ego?”

 

She rolled her eyes. “I’m your friend Lance, and that means there’ll be no coddling. In fact, the opposite.” 

 

“I need new friends, then.”

 

Allura and Lance both laughed, the sound filling up the room and Lance’s chest with a comforting warmth. 

 

Allura straightened and held out her arm. “Well sharpshooter, it seems it’s about time we grace the masses with our appearance, hmm?”

 

Lance cleared his throat and took the princess’s arm in his. “Can’t have our fans waiting, I absolutely agree with you dear princess.”

 

“By Altea, that’s pompous,” she chuckled.

 

“You literally started it!” Lance exclaimed as the two headed out of the room, their voices echoing down the hallway. 

 

* * *

 

 

Lance didn’t realize he knew what falling in love looked like until he was 17. 

 

His mother and father had always been grossly enamored with each other. Growing up, Lance saw instances of love in their flour covered kisses in the kitchen when they thought the kids were outside, his mother’s shrill yells when they went fishing by the pier and Lance’s father decided to climb down rocks to free a washed up stingray, or even in moments of hardship in which their callused hands would grip each other tight in the pale moonlit living room. Lance knew for sure what being in love looked and sounded like. 

 

He was just a little unsure about the falling. 

 

Sure he had heard tales about how they fell in love, but the idea seemed more abstract than anything else. That is, until Lance started getting letters from Veronica.

 

The eldest Valdes child had further raised the bar for everyone by getting accepted to medical school in the United States. Amidst celebrations and tearful goodbyes, she promised to contact the family regularly, and at Lance’s request, send handwritten letters to him.

 

While he eagerly relayed his growing interest in space travel, his budding admiration for the famed pilot, Takashi Shirogane, and eventually his process in applying to the Galaxy Garrison, she told him about her endless testing but worthwhile hospital shifts, the culture difference between her new friends and those back home, and how she missed their mother’s cooking. 

 

Then she started mentioning a fellow classmate regularly in their correspondence. Her name was Noor, she was in Veronica’s class, and the two had become fast friends after being paired up for a project their second semester. At first, Lance would get updates about Noor, once in a while, and sometimes whole letters went without mentioning her. But eventually, she became just as much of a staple in their letters as their other topics of conversation. Lance remembered getting a class photo one month, and smirking knowingly when he noticed the only person not smiling at the camera was his sister, her laughing face turned towards the hijab wearing woman to her right. 

 

Lance watched his sister fall in love through these letters. 

 

How slowly, her admiration for Noor became laced with more than friendship. How she would lament to Lance about how “unfairly gorgeous and smart” Noor was or how she wasn’t sure if her feelings were reciprocated or even if she had the stomach to make a move to find out. Lance started eagerly awaiting the next chapter in his sister’s attempts to woo her best friend and classmate, finding the updates more and more comical the longer his usually calm and collected older sister panicked. 

 

A week before his parents’ 20th anniversary, she called to say that she had some time off to come home and that she had a surprise for everyone. 

 

Lance hadn’t received his monthly letter then, and was hoping this surprise was the end result of what they’d discussed last month. 

 

A few days later, he ran across the house to wrench open the door and see his sister, shining brighter than the sun, hand in hand with a beautiful woman Lance had seen in a picture months before. 

 

“Leandro,” Veronica said, voice dripping with excitement, “I’d like you to meet my girlfriend, Noor.”

 

That weekend, as Lance sang to celebrate two decades of his parents’ unwavering love, he made a mental note to also sing for his sister. And as he watched Veronica and Noor dance in the evening twilight, he tucked away the way they fell as a reference for the future. 

 

* * *

 

Lance hadn’t danced this much since he’d been on Earth. 

 

In the ballroom at the center of the castle, the planetary council had outdone themselves in preparing for the night’s formal event. Hundreds of planetary citizens and refugees had filled the wide ballroom, decorated in bright lights and shining streamers. Long tables of food lay invitingly to the side, a welcome sight after months and months of gelatinous food goo. Music played from the center where a group of tall, humanoid aliens played on a raised platform with oddly shaped instruments. 

 

When Lance and Allura arrived on the scene, Allura had jumped with excitement upon seeing the musical performers, pulling Lance by the arm and onto the dance floor. The two then spent the next hour teaching each other dances from their respective home planets, laughing at each other’s initial mistakes and then upping the complexity once they could see the other pick up the moves relatively quickly. By the time, Lance broke from his exuberant dance partner to take a break, he realized he hadn't spotted the other paladins since they’d arrived. 

 

He made his way over the food area, carefully sniffing to make sure the drink he picked up didn’t reek of Nunvil, and then took refreshing sip as his eyes scanning the crowd.

 

Not too far from where he and Allura had been dancing, he spotted Hunk, Romelle and Pidge. Romelle was displaying some intricate footwork that both Hunk and Pidge tried desperately to follow. Their efforts were in vain as eventually, Pidge tripped knocking into Hunk and the two saw themselves tumbling to the floor as Romelle visibly broke out into laughter. Lance glanced over and quickly found Coran and Shiro talking animatedly to one of the musicians on the platform. Coran was gesturing wildly with his arms as Shiro curiously prodded a horn shaped instrument. 

 

He let his eyes sweep over the crowd searchingly as he raised the cup to his lips, looking for the flash of red he hadn’t seen thus far-

 

“Lance?”

 

Lance inhaled a little too quickly and started to cough. He felt a light hand pat his back unhelpfully as he slowly regained his composure. Looking up, he found himself looking at an amused violet face.

 

“Sorry for alarming you,” Krolia said smirking just slightly. Her short hair, like Allura, was swept neatly at the base of her neck while her messy bangs were parted in the middle. She was in a long sleeveless maroon dress, color reminiscent of her son’s suit, that flowed gracefully as she moved. Krolia exuded an effortless confidence that made Lance want to stand a little straighter. She was also quite frankly, undeniably gorgeous, and Lance simultaneously understood where Keith got his good looks from and also why his father decided to try his luck on an alien that fell from the heavens. 

 

“No it’s fine,” he said quickly, “We’re good.”

 

“We haven’t properly spoken yet,” she said, yellow eyes remaining steadfastly focused on his, “But I wanted to thank you, for keeping Akira safe.”

 

Lance raised his eyebrows incredulously. “Keith? Oh uh, I didn’t really do anything, I kinda just more or less yelled at him whenever he was being reckless.”

 

“Exactly,” she said surely, “He listens to you. And without your friendship, he might not be here right now.”

 

“Well I guess someone has to make sure he doesn’t do anything even more stupidly reckless than usual,” he said agreeably. 

 

She chuckled. “The way you two talk about each other reminds me a lot of his father and I.” She smiled, eyes looking off as she remembered. “Reiji would constantly grumble about my lack of concern in endangering myself to protect him and Akira, but would then turn around and do the same thing. In the end, we were both hypocrites,” her eyes focused back onto Lance, “But only because we cared for each other, so I suppose it was justified.”

 

Lance was being fed a lot of information and his brain struggled to keep up. “Keith...talked about me?”

 

Krolia’s smile looked like it knew something he didn’t. “Quite a lot. Besides Shiro, you seem to have had a powerful impact on him. He respects and admires you considerably.”

 

Lance felt his brain short circuit. “Oh, well um, that’s nice to see-uh-hear I mean. I really respect and admire him too, actually, for a while now. So um-that’s great-”

 

“Hey guys.”

 

Speak of the devil. Lance turned around to see that Keith, like his mother, had silently materialized behind him. The new information paired with the red paladin’s sudden appearance left Lance’s mouth dry. 

 

From behind him, Krolia cleared her throat. “I need to speak to Shiro about something,” she smiled at Lance as he looked back at her, “It was good talking to you Lance.” She sent a knowing look over Lance’s shoulder before walking away towards the musicians at the ballroom center. 

 

Lance turned his attention back to Keith, whose freckled cheeks were tinted pink. 

 

“Well fancy seeing you here, mullet,” Lance teased, “Where have you been all night?”

 

“I was here, just talking to people and being led around by Councilman Ismani.” His eyes twinkled mischievously, “Also may or may not have let Nyx loose on the dance floor.” 

 

Lance whipped his head around to peer through the crowd and see that Nyx was in fact, teleporting from dance circle to dance circle, alarming guests enough to disrupt their rhythm. 

 

He shoved Keith. “You’re a menace, Keith.”

 

Keith rewarded him with a dimpled smile that tripped Lance’s heart just slightly. 

 

“Actually, I also found something that I wanted to show you. Well Shiro and I did the other night, and I thought you might wanna see it.” 

 

Lance raised an eyebrow. “A surprise, huh?” They began to walk towards the tall double doors at the end of the ballroom. “I wonder if it’s a knife collection from the ancients. Or! You found an Earth records store and are going to force me to listen The Killers on vinyl for the rest of the night.”

 

“Is that what you think of me?” Keith replied as the two walked the relatively empty hallways, “Just the knife and pop punk guy?”

 

“No of course not, you’re also the mullet guy.”

 

“Unbelievable.”

 

“The truth is heavy my dude, it truly is.”

 

Keith shoved him, Lance shoved him back and this act of retaliation enacted a brief play fight that ended with Lance’s arm slung amiably around the red paladin’s broad shoulders while the other’s arm snaked firmly around his waist. He not tried to think too much about how even through the thick fabric of his jacket, he could feel the heat of Keith’s arm. 

 

They reached a winding staircase that seemed to extend upwards for miles. 

 

“Jesus, are you trying to kill me?” Lance said separating himself from Keith to grimace loathingly at the upwards climb.

 

Keith who’d started ahead, looked back at him. “It’s so worth it, I promise.”

 

And so for the next ten minutes or so, Lance did his best to avoid staring directly at Keith’s well shaped backside, despite not doing anything to speed up or get himself out from behind the other boy.

 

‘I’m a mess.’ he thought pathetically to himself. 

 

They reached a landing, only to turn and see more stairs leading them to the mystery location somewhere above. 

 

Lance groaned, holding onto the railing. “Keeeeith, I can’t go on, my legs are useless in these boots.”

 

Keith laughed, reaching his hand out to clasp it firmly around Lance’s wrist. “Stop that, I believe in you.” He tugged them forward. “C’mon just a little bit more.”

 

“Ugh fine, you’re lucky I like you.”

 

Keith flushed and didn’t say anything. Lance also noted that he hadn’t let go of his wrist and that with some slight maneuvering, they’d be holding hands. His stomach flipped at the thought.

 

Finally at the top of the seemingly never ending staircase, lay a relatively empty hallway adorned by tall glass windows. Keith led them further down until they reached a smaller set of double doors he had to wiggle just slightly to open. 

 

Before he led them through, he turned to Lance with excitement. “Okay, close your eyes.”

 

“And this is how I die.”

 

“Lance...”

 

“Okay okay fine,” he allowed the darkness behind his eyelids to consume him as Keith took his wrist again and led them through the door. 

 

They walked a few steps and Lance could tell from the slightly warmer air and a fragrant smell of vegetation that they were outside. He felt Keith let go of him. 

 

“Alright, open.”

 

Lance opened his eyes and felt his breath catch in his throat. 

 

They were standing in what looked like a rooftop terrace garden, but it was unlike anything he had ever seen before. Tall trellises supported curling vines whose deep plum hue could be mistaken for black. On the same vines, scattered like night stars, lay blooming ivory flowers that seemed to almost glow in the light of the twin moons that swallowed the night sky as they orbited the planet closely.

 

Along the tiled path were an assortment of exotic plants and shrubbery, leaves ranging from lilacs to cerulean blues to blood reds, all ostensibly drinking in the moonlight and ruffling slightly in the night air. Thin trees loomed in darkness farther back, while a circular fountain quietly gurgled in the middle, the clear water reflecting the heavens above. 

 

Lance let out the breath he’d been holding. This was gorgeous. 

 

“Do you like it?”

 

Lance snapped his eyes back to the boy standing just slightly beyond his reach.With his jacket now properly buttoned, Keith looked the part of a royal diplomat. Bathed in the moonlight, Keith’s hair seemed to shine as lustrously as the flowers that stirred on either side of them. His face was open and expecting, his eyes searching Lance’s nervously as he waited for the blue paladin to respond.  

 

“Dance with me,” Lance blurted out, eyes never leaving his.

 

Keith blinked. “Um, there’s no music...”

 

Lance smiled fondly before crossing the distance to stand before him. “That’s okay,” he said, gingerly taking one of Keith’s hands in his own while guiding the other to his back, “Just let your favorite song play in your head.”

 

He placed his hand on Keith’s shoulder as the other boy visibly swallowed. Lance followed the movement, able to appreciate how lovely he looked this close when he was flushed red. 

 

“Or,” replied Keith, voice rasping, “We could finish 20 questions since you skipped my turn earlier.”

 

Lance laughed as he began to sway the two of them to the guitar notes in his head. “Okay, shoot.”

 

“What were you and my mom talking about?” he floated out cautiously.

 

“Wow mullet, nosey much,” Lance retorted, to which Keith pouted and Lance’s heart squeezed. “Well, since you ask--you.”

 

Keith furrowed his brow in confusion. 

 

“She wanted to thank me for keeping you from being your maximum capacity impulsive psycho and then,” he raised an eyebrow, “She mentioned that you talked about me. And that you said some very nice things.”

 

Keith’s abating blush came back full force and he looked downward embarrassedly. “She wanted to know so it was whatever.”

 

“That’s not what I heard,” Lance teased in a sing-song voice.

 

“Your turn!” Keith sputtered, somehow reddening even further, nearly matching his suit jacket. 

 

“You’re no fun.” he replied without bite before “So Akira, huh?”

 

Keith’s dark eyes found his again. “I could say the same, Leandro.”

 

Lance suppressed a shiver.

 

“It’s my full given name and only my family really calls me that.”

 

“Same. No one since my dad died called me Akira until I met my mom,” he paused, “it was kinda weird hearing it again, but I think I kind of like it.”

 

Lance smiled. “Me too, it’s…” 

 

‘Beautiful like you,’ his mind supplied.

 

“...fitting,” he finished instead.

 

Keith grinned. “Okay, um, what song are you thinking of right now?”

 

“In the Waiting,” he replied truthfully, “It was the one I played at my parents’ anniversary. You?”

 

Keith bit his lip, mouth quirked upward. “Promise you won’t laugh.”

 

“I may be physically unable, but I’ll try.”

 

“It’s…..Uptown Girl...by Billy Joel…” he muttered.

 

“PFFFFFT-ow!” Keith hit him where his hand was on Lance’s back.

 

“Lance you promised-”

 

“I know man but it’s just so cute,” Lance felt his chest flutter, “Am-Am I your uptown girl Keith?”

 

Keith struggled valiantly to keep the blush and smile from creeping across his face. “Shut up Lance-”

 

“When I’m walkin am I lookin’ fine?” Lance continued despite Keith’s protests. “Oh my god, Keith are you my backstreet guy-”

 

“I’m leaving,” Keith said laughing, and started to pull away from Lance’s grip. In a moment of reckless impulse, Lance shot his arm out and pulled the other boy back. Where before, there had been some polite distance between them, the momentum forced them flush against each other. 

 

Lance felt them both stiffen. For the second time that day, he found himself incredibly close to Keith’s face. 

 

Keith.

 

Reckless and talented and brave. He was every supernova they’d skirted, every explosion of light and sound, every rampaging wildfire and the way his bright eyes fixed themselves on Lance left him burning, burning burning….

 

Lance, again without any control over his actions, lifted a hand and pressed his fingertips to the pale scar on the red paladin’s cheek. He heard Keith suck in a quiet breath as Lance gently traced the length of the healing skin with his hand. 

 

His heart was beating so loud, he was almost certain Keith would hear it. Or in the very least feel it. 

 

Keith. 

 

Who was looking at him through long dark lashes and lidded eyes. 

 

“Lance..” his voice cracked, a little broken, a little breathless. 

 

“Guys! Where the hell are you, we can’t see shit!” 

 

The boys jumped apart from each other and again for the second time that day, Lance had to bite back a choice set of words for his well meaning best friends. 

 

He cleared his throat. “We’re here,” he called out. 

 

Lance could see Pidge and Hunk slowly meander their way from the double doors to where he and Keith had strayed. Suddenly, a dark mass appeared and bounded ahead of the yellow and green paladins. 

 

Lance, well versed at this point, bent down with his arms open to accommodate the sheer force of Nyx as she barrelled into him, knocking him to the ground. 

 

“Hey there dancing queen,” he said as he sat up and rubbed her stomach, “Hope you had fun on the out there even though your dad probably shouldn’t have let you rampage.”

 

“Dad?” Keith said also crouching to scratch his dog, “What are you then, the estranged uncle?”

 

“Hey! I think we’ve established that I’m pretty important in our child’s life thank you very much.”

 

Keith raised an eyebrow. “Our child?”

 

“What about it?” Lance said coolly, “A family can be two dads and a teleporting space wolf.”

 

“Ugh you guys are gross,” Pidge said as she approached them, grinning down at the two as Hunk trailed behind. 

 

“Did you come to antagonize me Pidgeon?” Lance grumbled at his small friend. 

 

“No,” she seemed to be buzzing with some wired up energy, “We came to get you guys because you will not fucking believe what Councilman Ismani and her team have been working on since we got here.”

 

“Keith,” Hunk said, practically bouncing, “Do you think Nyx can teleport us to the castle hangar?”

 

“I mean I’ve never tried with more than one person, but I don’t see why not.” He grabbed Nyx’s massive head and peered into her large, golden eyes. “Hey girl, do you think you can take us downstairs where we went exploring the other day?”

 

Nyx affectionately licked Keith’s nose, a sight Lance pretty sure would have hospitalized him if he wasn’t intent on finding out what the two other paladins were so urgent about. 

 

“Okay everyone grab on.”

 

Lance reached out a hand to grip Nyx’s neck and not even a second later, he saw the garden disappear from sight. 

 

Before he could adequately make sense of the limbo they were floating through, they were suddenly on the ground again, except this time they weren’t alone. Lance stood up, his eyes focusing first on Shiro, Allura, Coran, Krolia and Romelle standing a little ways off gesturing animatedly at a large circular structure that filled the hangar with a faint hum of energy. 

 

Wait. 

 

The structure itself was painfully reminiscent of something he and the rest of the team had relied on for travel. Something they’d taken for granted. Something that looked so much like-

 

“A wormhole,” Keith said beside, mouth gaping in awe, “Holy shit, they built an artificial wormhole.” 

 

Pidge looked like she was about to cry. “Fuck yeah they did.”

 

Lance looked at her. “Wait, you knew about this?!”

 

The green paladin shook her head. “No, Hunk and I just went to get parts and put together some things earlier but we didn’t find out until like 20 minutes ago.”

 

“They wanted to surprise us with it,” Hunk said beaming. “We haven't properly looked at it because we wanted to get you guys so let’s go!”

 

The four approached the rest of the team all talking at once, in various stages of excitement. 

 

“You’re telling me you managed a flawless model without the teleduv design-Alfor’s beard! I haven’t seen these in ages-”

 

“This is truly quite a feat councilman, we really don’t know what to say-”

 

“I’m still needed to activate it, correct? Do you think-” Allura’s eyes met Lance’s as they approached and she broke out into a brilliant smile. “Lance we have a wormhole!”

 

“I know!” he said squeezing the hand she extended with enthusiasm, “God we can actually all go home-I-”

 

His eyes landed on the tall councilman clad in black speaking to Shiro and he excused himself to make his way over. “Councilman Ismani-” he started staring into her four large eyes and shaking her hand, “I really thank you so much for this. I never imagined we’d all be able to go home sooner than we’d planned but-”

 

She shook her hairless head. “It’s only one way we could repay the paladins of Voltron,” she said smiling warmly at both Lance and Shiro. “However I should have you know--actually let’s gather your team.” 

 

She looked out into the space. “Paladins and friends,” the councilman said voice sharpe and clear, “There are a few things you should know about the wormhole we have built for your safe travels.”

 

The rest of the team quieted and attentively listened as Ismani continued. “First I will assure you, that this model is safe. I understand the danger of a collapsed wormhole is an experience that you all rather not go through again. I spearheaded this project, as these models of Altean tech were my forte when I studied as a young student, and made sure to do my research in acquiring the right tools, materials and blueprints to ensure that the integrity of the structure would remain stable during use. You have my word.”

 

She took a brief pause. “That being said, this is of course not Altean tech. We were not blessed with the unlimited resources available on that planet thus our structure is one that is significantly scaled down to accomodate what we did have. This means that the energy we feed it with Princess Allura’s help can only sustain the energy of a single vessel to pass through safely. In other words, only one of your lions can pass through.”

 

Lance felt his stomach drop. Only one? There was no way any of them would be able to agree on which lion that would be. Who had priority-

 

Lance’s eyes fell on Shiro. 

 

Oh.

 

With a deepened dread, he spoke up in the silence. “Look, I think-

 

“Lance, why don’t you go?”

 

His heart stilled. 

 

Keith returned Lance’s incredulous stare with a steady gaze. “What? It makes the most sense-you’ve talked about and missed Earth longer and harder than any of us. You should go.”

 

He said it so matter-of-factly Lance almost didn’t counter.

 

Almost. 

 

“Hold up wait, what about Hunk and Pidge?” he looked to both his best friends, searching their faces, “You guys-”

 

“Keith’s right Lance,” Pidge said smiling softly back, “We’ve all been homesick, but you’ve been torn up about it way more. And besides, I was able to see my dad and brother again, but you haven’t seen your family since we left.”

 

“That applies to Hunk too!” He looked at his best friend of so long, “Dude, you deserve you to visit your moms again-”

 

“God, Lance, and what, you don’t?” Hunk shot back, “For once, don’t put me or anyone ahead of you and just take this buddy,” the corner of his mouth lifted, “Take it from me as a bonus apology gift,” he finished winking. 

 

“Number two is correct Lance,” Coran supplied clapping him on the shoulder, “We’ll be okay flying just a little longer.”

 

Lance felt the back of his eyes burn. This felt surreal. “Oh my god I-I’m going home.” His voice broke, and he let his tears flow freely in front of his teammates. He felt a strong pair of arms wrap around his shoulders and he ducked his head onto Allura’s shoulder. 

 

“Group hug!” Hunk exclaimed sounding suspiciously on the verge of tears himself, and suddenly felt the arms of his team, his friends, his  _ family _ , press against him in comfort.

 

“God, I’m gonna miss you guys,” he said sniffling. 

 

“And we, you Lance,” Allura replied easily. 

 

“Okay….” he started as they all slowly broke formation, “My only condition in accepting this generous gift is for Shiro to also come with me.”

 

The former black paladin’s pale eyebrows shot up, “Now hold on a minute-”

 

“No, no, no, I’m bringing you home Shiro,” he stared hardly at the older man, “Don’t make me reduce you to tears with my spiel again,” he added threateningly.

 

Shiro looked helplessly at Keith who shrugged grinning. “Don’t look at me big bro, looks like you’ll have to do the unthinkable and let yourself relax.”

 

“I have been!”

 

“Nah, you need like a good solid decade devoid of death scares to heal, doctor’s orders,” Hunk chirped. 

 

The look of pure confusion on Shiro’s face was priceless. “What doctor-?”

 

“Just,” Lance placed a hand on the older paladin’s shoulder, “Don’t fight me on this and say you’ll come.”

 

Shiro blew out a breath. “Well I suppose it would be pointless to argue huh?”

 

Lance smiled triumphantly. “Now you’re getting it!” 

 

The team laughed together at Shiro’s puzzled defeat. And as councilman Ismani explained the further details of preparation, how he essentially needed to be ready to depart with Red and Shiro by morning, Lance felt his heart expand. 

 

He looked at the shining bands of silver on the wormhole structure that caught the light of the hangar. In a few hours he’d be looking at them up close.

 

In a few hours, he’d be going home. 

 

* * *

 

In the morning, Lance watched Kaltenecker graze lazily on top of the rolling hills outside the castle. 

 

He’d barely been able to sleep that night following the reveal and briefing and then a supervised watch of Shiro to make sure he actually packed for their departure. Red was in the hangar, loaded, when Lance remembered that his beloved cow was still in the stables somewhere in need of fresh food. The sun was slowly starting to rise, bathing the hills in golden light so warm and familiar Lance could almost close his eyes and imagine the sound of accompanying turf.

 

‘Not yet, Leandro,’ he reminded himself, ‘But soon.’

 

He heard crunch of grass but wasn't surprised at the wetness that slowly started to coat the side of his face.

 

“Hey girl,” Lance said fondly, stroking Nyx’s fur. 

 

“Thought I’d find you up here.”

 

Lance stood watching Keith approach him slowly.

 

“Yeah, I just wanted to let Kaltenecker eat a bit before putting her in Red.”

 

Keith snickered, covering his mouth. “My brother and a giant cow as backseat passengers, that should be fun.”

 

“There’s plenty of room back there you goof.”

 

“I know but still.” Keith smiled at him lazily. “They’re ready for you now, just so you know.”

 

“Wow,” he turned, patting Kaltenecker’s side and leading her away from the pasture. “I can’t believe this is happening.” Lance mused as they walked towards the open hangar. He peered at Keith. “Thank you.”

 

Keith furrowed his brow. “What for?”

 

“Suggesting I go, you didn’t have to.”

 

“You’re right I didn’t because literally anyone else on the team would’ve.” He smiled kindly. “I was just first.”

 

Lance rolled his eyes. “As always.”

 

They’d reached the hangar before long, strolling in to see the paladins hovering around the controls of the wormhole, the structure itself lit and humming louder than the previous night.

 

“Ismani just spoke to us by the way.” Keith ventured as they neared where the others were. “She’s been letting Pidge sync up her software to their mainframe database to figure out how much longer it’ll take us to reach Earth and--we’re actually just week away.”

 

Lance tripped. 

 

“A week?!” he said steadying himself, “Holy shit that’s awesome! We won’t be away from each other for too long then!”

 

Keith’s face sported another glowing look. “Not at all.”

 

Cue heart clench. 

 

“Lance!” He looked away to see that Hunk and Pidge were beckoning him to them. Walking over, the two helped load the extraterrestrial bovine into Red before launching themselves at the blue paladin.

 

“Oh you guys,” he said squeezing them back, “As I’ve literally just been told, it’s only a week.” 

 

They pulled back, bittersweet smiles adorning their faces. “We know,” Hunk began sighing, “But we just got you back, so we’re gonna miss you.”

 

“I’ll miss you guys, too” Lance replied honestly, squeezing their shoulders as they exited the ramp together. 

 

“Tell your family that we’ll be seeing them soon okay?” Pidge said.

 

Lance smiled at his small friend warmly. “Will do, Pidgeon.”

 

In the hangar, Romelle and Krolia wished him safe travels before he was approached by Coran and Allura.

 

“Ready my boy?” Coran said as he pulled back from embracing him.

 

“As I’ll ever be.”

 

Allura placed a hand on his shoulder. “We’ll see you very soon, Lance.” She pulled him close and kissed his forehead. “But we’ll still miss you.” 

 

Lance could see Shiro and Keith approach out of the corner of his eye. “I’ll miss you guys, too.” 

 

The Alteans turned to bestow their well wishes upon Shiro, leaving Lance face to face with Keith. 

 

“Gonna miss me, mullet?” Lance teased. 

 

Keith tilted his head. “I don’t know, maybe I will.”

 

His stomach fluttered helplessly. He put out a hand. “Well, hasta la later Keith.”

 

The other boy rolled his eyes. “I think we’re well past that,” and pulled the blue paladin close. 

 

Lance buried his face into the warm crook of Keith’s neck, not even trying to beat away the realization that their bodies fit perfectly together. He smelled like soap and felt firm and was doing things to Lance’s chest that he’d only read about in his brother’s shitty romance novels. 

 

He let himself accept that he was falling. 

 

After an eon, and some cleared throats, the two pulled apart. Lance had to rip his gaze away from the red paladin's otherworldly face to listen to Ismani’s final instruction. 

 

“Just ease the lion though,” she explained to him, “No thrusters or accelerating, we want to be as cautious as possible.”

 

Lance nodded and looked to Shiro. “Ready?”

 

Shiro looked determinedly back. “You know it.”

 

The two climbed up Red’s ramp, waving a final goodbye to the paladins below. Lance rubbed the console of the ship lovingly, “Hey boy, ready to see Earth?” Red rumbled lowly, and feelings of comfort and anticipation encased Lance’s mind. From the cockpit, they watched as Allura stepped to the ground console. 

 

“Alright paladins,” she spoke through the comms, “We’ll see you on the other side.”

 

Lance smiled, and let his eyes sweep over the people standing below, eyes stopping on the raven haired pilot-

 

In that moment, Lance shot forward with a realization. He looked to Shiro. 

 

“I’ll….be right back.”

 

“Lance, Allura already started we have like 30 seconds max---Lance, HEY!”

 

Lance had already thrown his helmet off and was sprinting down the lowered ramp. 

 

The rest of the team watched in confusion as he headed towards a very puzzled Keith.

 

“Lance,” Allura hissed, “Get back in the lion, its almost time-”

 

“I know, just give me like 30 seconds,” he focused back on Keith. “Give me Adam’s address.”

 

A flurry of emotion fluttered across Keith’s face so quickly before he settled on what looked to be determination. He looked around, “Pen and paper anyone? It’s urgent.”

 

After a flurry of motion Hunk managed rip something off of an old manual and scrounge up a something Keith was now scribbling onto. He hastily handed it to Lance. “I’m not sure if he still lives there, but it’s worth a try.” 

 

“Thanks!” Lance turned to leave but felt a hand on his elbow.

 

Keith’s expression was full of such fondness it nearly knocked Lance to the ground. “No, thank you Lance. For doing this for my brother.”

 

And on impulse, as was common nowadays, Lance shot forward, pressing a kiss to the scar across Keith’s cheek, prompting an eruption of red to bloom across the other boy’s face.

 

He winked. “Anytime,” and ran back to Red, while exclamations of surprise called after him. 

 

Shiro was pursing his lips, holding back a smile when Lance returned. “What was that about?”

 

Lance felt his cheeks warm and quickly placed his helmet back on. “Just doing what I needed to keep a promise,” he replied grinning back. 

 

“Lance, it’s time,” Allura’s voice crackled through the comms, “The wormhole is ready, you need to begin easing through.”

 

Lance nodded adjusting the controls. Red stood slowly approaching the now glowing interdimensional energy folding just beyond them.

 

“We’ll see you guys soon,” Lance spoke into the comms, before entering the white light.

 

At first he saw nothing. Whiteness that seemed to radiate energy from nowhere. Shiro gripped his shoulder in comfort, as he slowly guided Red forward in this directionless space. 

 

And then suddenly, they were out. The darkness of the universe riddled with the infinite glow of gaseous stars surrounded them from all sides, but Lance was looking straight ahead.

 

There, floating suspended in the blackness of space, was a terrestrial planet blanketed in endless blue and spiraling storm systems. There, on one of those just barely visible green patches  was every beachside birthday, every broken guitar string, every kiss goodnight. There, just beyond them, was a place every language on the planet made sure to have a word for.

 

_ Ziemia _

 

_ Aiye. _

 

_ Lurra. _

 

_ Tierra.  _

 

Lance could feel the steady dampness of tears dancing across his face.

 

_ Earth. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn boi, that was a lot of word vomit.
> 
> We got Veronica the lesbian icon, we got Allurance confrontation, we got some tender lovin Klance, and now: HOMECOMING!!!!!!
> 
> I'm so excited for the last chapter, it's gonna hella emotional and I will try my hardest to get it out before s7 but no promises. 
> 
> Also if you're brown/Desi, I hope you got the Kuch Kuch Hota Hai reference I made with the garden scene lmao.
> 
> The song that Lance mentioned in this chap may or may not make an appearance again..........
> 
> Also pls comment or hit me up on [tungle](http://astromullet.tumblr.com/) as I am a vain writer and want feedback!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Nena?” Lance’s mother floated out softly.
> 
> Lance’s knees gave out as he crumpled to the ground. His mother rushed forward and crouched into the muddy path as she pulled Lance to her, a strong arm wrapping around his shoulders while the other cradled the back of her son’s head.
> 
> Lance felt a sob wrack through his chest as he wrapped his arms around his mother’s small frame.
> 
> And so they held each other, silently crying, feeling the weight of rain slowly lift the months of distance and fear and war, if temporarily, from their chests. Lance buried his face into his mother’s shoulder, curling into himself as if he wasn’t a taller, broader soldier returning from war, hardened from loss or riddled with the burden of the universe.
> 
> No.
> 
> In this moment, as he felt his tears mixed with the rain to wet the blouse his mother wore, he was, once again, just a boy who’d finally found his way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *rises up from the ashes of this past semester and the clusterfuck that was s8* SHE LIIIIIIIVES
> 
> (pls pls pls read the author's notes at the end thx!)

It was raining when they touched down. 

 

As Lance guided Red through the atmosphere, watching as flames licked the sides of the ship with resistance, he allowed his vision to blur just slightly with saltwater not too foreign from the kind he would soon be near. 

 

Shiro stood by him, beaming with as much excitement as Lance could feel radiate through his body. Here he was, hurtling through layers of atmosphere, thick clouds leaving streaks of condensation on Red’s windshields, before the alien ship finally burst through them revealing the dazzling reflection of an endless ocean below. 

 

Lance couldn’t wait any longer. 

 

“Red, plot a course for Habana, Cuba.”

 

The ship did a happy maneuver, channeling its paladins own giddiness before shooting forward on the assigned path. 

 

Now, as the blue paladin gripped the wrist of his childhood hero and raced down the ramp of a weaponized alien lion ship, his mind thought of everything and nothing at once. Shiro laughed at Lance’s enthusiasm, almost tripping over himself trying to keep up with the boy. Lance heard the sharp sounds of rain pinging off the metal on the outside and abruptly stopped at the mouth of the ship gazing upward.

 

Rain.

 

Ancient, cold,  _ Earthen _ rain.

 

The kind his mother pulled him into as they danced to the reggaeton playing from their windowside radio. Or drenched him while he played soccer in the high school pitch just a block away from his home. Or slowly pooled in his cupped hands as it did right in that moment. 

 

Lance let go of Shiro and took a tentative first step off the metal ramp and onto the damp grass. Almost immediately, his previously dry body, was completely encased a wall of cold water. He felt the force of the rain flatten his curling hair and slip between all the gaps in his armor, wetting his undersuit and pressing damp fabric against skin in a way that elicited an involuntary shudder up his spine. 

 

A low rumble of thunder sounded in the distance and Lance tilted his head up to the sky, able to taste the freshness of the water as it fell into his smiling mouth. 

 

He hadn’t felt this alive in such a long, long time.

 

“Damn, this feels good.”

 

Lance looked over to where Shiro stood beside him, eyes closed and head also tilted towards the pouring heavens above. He let out a content sigh and looked at the blue paladin. “Don’t you think your family might mind two sopping wet paladins dripping through the house though?”

 

Lance felt a surge of adrenaline as he looked away and towards the house sat at the crest of the sloping hill. With a sudden burst of energy, he sprinted forward, letting out a loud laugh at Shiro’s indignant “Hey!” as he pressed through the torrent. His feet instinctively found the old worn path that led up to the house, carved by years of Valdes children running, rolling and biking up and down the land. 

 

He reached the top and felt his breath catch. 

 

A small lawn dotted with low growing Sago palms prefaced the front of Lance’s childhood home. Through the thick rain, he could still see the bright turquoise and honey of the front facing walls, from the summer he and Rhea helped their papa repaint the house. His eyes looked to the window on the first floor, where he knew the clay elephant he made in the first grade was probably still proudly displayed as the dining table centerpiece, despite it’s intensely homely appearance. Just above was the window to his room on the second floor, where he’d spent night after night gazing out the telescope Veronica and Marco got for him on his 15th birthday, sketching out constellations and dreaming of the moon. He could just make out the shoddy wooden steps and the crawl space right underneath, where he would unsuccessfully hide from his mama before she’d pull him out and massage warm coconut oil through his curls, sitting on the stairs on rainy days like this. 

 

“Ow, mama, that hurts,” he’d wince and squirm as his mother's long fingers worked their way through his thick, tangled hair.

 

She would chuckle. “Nena, you’ll thank me when you wake up tomorrow and look in the mirror to see shiny curls and not a bird’s nest.”

 

Lance would sniff, only slightly enjoying the feeling of his scalp being massaged after the initial detangling and the all encompassing scent of rain and coconut. “Maybe I  _ want _ a bird to nest, ever think about that, mama?”

 

“Okay Leo, next time, I’ll let Jenny Shaybon know she can leave her cage at home and just put her parakeet in your hair, bien?”

 

Lance would laugh, leaning back into his mother’s touch, as the two spent the rest of the evening in each other’s arms, talking about everything and nothing.

 

He could feel a pressure build behind his eyes as he gazed at those achingly familiar steps. 

 

Wait.

 

Lance squinted through the rain, not sure if he’d seen right, but there it was again. Movement on the stairs, and before he could think anything of it, a dark figure rose from where it had previously been seated on the porch.

 

Lance felt his heart leap into his throat as he forced his shaky legs to take a few steps forward.

 

The figure moved down the steps steadily, bracing a hand against the railing for support as Lance watched, halting, unable to move any further. 

 

They reached the bottom, and without pausing for a moment, stepped into the rain and Lance’s line of vision. 

 

“Nena?” Lance’s mother floated out softly.

 

Lance’s knees gave out as he crumpled to the ground. His mother rushed forward and crouched into the muddy path as she pulled Lance to her, a strong arm wrapping around his shoulders while the other cradled the back of her son’s head. 

 

Lance felt a sob wrack through his chest as he wrapped his arms around his mother’s small frame.

 

And so they held each other, silently crying, feeling the weight of rain slowly lift the months of distance and fear and war, if temporarily, from their chests. Lance buried his face into his mother’s shoulder, curling into himself as if he wasn’t a taller, broader soldier returning from war, hardened from loss or riddled with the burden of the universe. 

 

No. 

 

In this moment, as he felt his tears mixed with the rain to wet the blouse his mother wore, he was, once again, just a boy who’d finally found his way home. 

 

Lance’s mother  pressed a long kiss to the side of his head and pulled back to look at him. He drank in her long curls now matted to her head, her moles that decorated her face, hands and back like they did his, her dark brown eyes, still so beautiful and warm, but also now a little more tired. She raised a hand to cup his cheek, smiling so bright Lance felt his heart expand tenfold and a similar smile creep itself across his own face.

 

“My precious boy,” she said, voice catching, “What took you so long?”

 

* * *

 

Lance’s family took to Shiro like...well...like anyone would take to Shiro honestly. 

 

After clinging to each other in the rain for some indeterminable time, Lance’s mother noticed the tall, smiling man standing just beyond them, watching the reunion with kind eyes. She immediately rushed to embrace him with fervorous gratitude, kissing the top of the teary-eyed black paladin’s head, before pulling her son and his friend into the house and forcing the two into showers and fresh clothes. 

 

Lance barely took two steps out of the steamed bathroom before being tackled by at least 5 different people he was sure his mother called while he was getting cleaned up. His body shook with both tears and laughter as he gazed upon the faces of his family members’ faces, all in some state of incredulous, tear-soaked joy.

 

“Wow, Leo,” his father said chuckling after pulling back from pressing a scratchy kiss to Lance’s forehead, “You came back more handsome than before, huh?”

 

“Yeah probably because the vacuum of space sucked all the baby fat out of his face,” Rhea said sniffing as she lay her head on Lance’s shoulder. “It was weird without you around, hermano.”

 

He rested his head on top of hers. 

 

“I missed you too, Rhea.”

 

Then Shiro emerged from the bathroom, wearing one of Lance’s papa’s old palm embroidered shirts and his family were stunned into a momentary silence before pouncing on the other man. 

 

Lance’s father clapped him on the back after pulling out of a tight embrace, thanking Shiro for inspiring Lance and keeping him safe.

 

“Well Lance is an amazing young man,” Shiro said, eyes warm as he smiled at Lance, “And someone I’m proud to call my friend.” 

 

“That’s actually interesting you say that Shiro, can I call you Shiro?” his brother Marco asked, voice dripping with amusement. 

 

“Of course!”

 

“Well Shiro, I don’t think you’ve gotten a proper tour of the house, and I really think we should check out Lance’s room first-”

 

Lance flushed. “Um Shiro already knows I had a poster of him and all that so this is totally unnecessary-”

 

“Yeah but does he know about the posters, plural? And the semi-shrine in your closet--?”

 

Lance clapped a hand over his brother's mouth, to which he retaliated by licking the offending limb.

 

“UGH, Marco, what are you 12?” Lance groaned, wiping his hand on his pants as the family and Shiro laughed watching the two.

 

“On a scale from 1-10, yes,” he retorted smoothly, earning a sharp bark of laughter from Shiro.

 

“Wow,” he said looking between them, “You two are definitely related.”

 

The rest of the family launched into further questioning Lance and Shiro about their time in space, the Coalition, the people and aliens they met along the way, and what the future of the war effort held now that they were back. In the middle of the interrogations, Lance’s brother Luis burst through the door followed by a screaming Nadia and Sylvio, all of whom tackled Lance into another fierce embrace before turning their awed attention to the beautiful, one-armed legend in their living room. 

 

At some point Lance’s mother forced everyone into the kitchen with forceful hospitality and filled them all with a warm dinner that quite literally brought Lance to tears again at the first bite. 

 

“Leo, what’s wrong?” Luis asked incredulously as he watched his younger sibling stop eating for a moment to wipe the tears streaming down his face.

 

“Nothing man, I just,” Lance paused, shaking his head in wonder, “I’ve just been suffering through tasteless space goo for months, and dreaming about mama’s  congrí, so like this is a little overwhelming.”

 

Luis threw his head back in laughter while Lance’s mother promptly spooned more rice onto Lance’s plate as if making up for lost time. 

 

At some point, Lance took a moment to look around and enjoy the sight of his family members, passing food around, talking in between bites, Shiro breaking off conversation to tell really bad jokes to make Sylvio laugh and Nadia squeal, all of them beautiful under the kitchen lights as distant sounds of the shore came threw an open window. 

 

Lance’s heart felt full...

 

...but he noticed a missing body.

 

“Mama, where’s Veronica?”

 

“I tried calling her Leo, but I’m pretty sure she’s on call at the hospital right now.”

 

Lance felt a surge of pride for his oldest sister. “Wow, she’s in residency here, huh? I knew that nerd had nothing to worry about.”

 

Lance’s mother chuckled. “We’re all proud of her, yes. She drives home on weekends but I left her messages so she’ll see them once she gets off.”

 

After dinner, the Valdes clan + Shiro migrated back to the living room, where they sipped on warm cups of coffee courtesy of Lance’s papa, and enjoyed the feeling of being together again. Some point late in the night, when conversation had grown softer, Lance glanced down at his niece and nephew, both passed out in his lap and tried his best not to let the sudden wave of affection he felt for them bring him to tears.

 

Luis and his mother gently removed the kids from atop him. 

 

“Get some rest, nena,” his mama whispered, before pressing a soft kiss on his forehead. “We’ll see Ronnie tomorrow, hopefully.”

 

Lance bid goodnight to the rest of his family and a sleepy Shiro before climbing the steps to his childhood bedroom. He bit back a smile as he took in the interior design choices of his younger self. 

 

The bed was pushed to the side, as if sleep was just an afterthought, a large desk and bookshelf crammed occupying most of the space with scattered books with highlighted pages, fraying spines and coffee stains as evidence of ravenous curiosity and worn care. Barely visible glow stickers of stars and planetary shapes stuck to the ceiling, eliciting memories of nights spent deep in thought, eyes blurring star shapes until he would slowly drift off into unconsciousness. He walked over and opened the large window that was uncharacteristically shut, an old gifted telescope aimed toward it from nights spent dreaming of the things he saw through the lens.

 

Lance sat now, watching the stars twinkle brightly as a warm sea breeze floated through the window and into his starved lungs. He wondered if he'd stare long enough, if he could make out the lions of Voltron flying towards Earth through the thousands of miles of space and atmosphere. 

 

It wouldn’t be long until they were all reunited and he’d be able to show them around his childhood home. Maybe put Allura, Romelle and Coran onto his brother’s trademarked cafe con leche, show Hunk and Pidge the food places he’d reminisce with them about during those starlit Garrison nights, or bring Keith to the beach and watch the sunrise set the edges of the red paladin’s raven hair aflame. 

 

His cheeks warmed at the thought. 

 

He didn’t notice the steps on the stairs until his door creaked open with the force of someone in a hurry. 

 

“Oh my god, Leandro,” Veronica choked out before meeting Lance halfway and clinging to her younger brother’s slightly taller frame. 

 

Veronica smelled like rubbing alcohol and when Lance pulled back to look at her through watery eyes, he saw that she was still in her white coat, stethoscope just barely peeking out of the deep pockets. 

 

He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand before grinning. “Hey there, Dr. Valdes.”

 

Veronica laughed, lifting her glasses to wipe her eyes as well, before leading the both of them back to the window ledge. 

 

“I’m sorry I didn’t come right away,” she said shaking her head and looking at him guiltily through tired eyes, “I was on call and wasn’t even looking at my phone-”

 

“Ronnie, it’s okay,” Lance replied, reaching a hand to clasp his sister’s. “We all figured you were busy.”

 

“I know, but still,” she said squeezing his hand. Her dark eyes flitted over his face, and she reached out with her other hand to brush the stray curls off of Lance’s forehead. “God, you’re like ancient now, huh?”

 

Lance swatted her hand away as she chuckled. “Says the literal grandmother.”

 

“I’ll have you know I’m one of the youngest physicians in my graduating class thank you very much,” she huffed.

 

“I mean I’m sure dinosaurs from one era felt younger than dinosaurs from another era, but it doesn’t detract from the fact that they’re both dinosaurs.”

 

She shot an arm out and wrestled her lanky brother into a loose headlock. “God, you didn’t get any less annoying!”

 

Lance laughed before pulling away and gazing upon his sister in earnest. “Seriously though, I’m really proud of you.”

 

Veronica smiled sweetly. “Thanks Leo.” She reached a slender hand and once again captured one of Lance’s, squeezing. “We never gave up hope, you know? We never stopped believing you’d come back to us, no matter what those Garrison commierdas said.”

 

Lance squeezed back. “I never stopped hoping either.”

 

They spent the next few hours catching up: Lance re-telling his adventures in space while Veronica excitedly recounted the hours spent in the emergency room, her favorite patient stories and even her engagement to her now fiancee, Noor.

 

“Ronnie holy shit! I’m so happy for you!!” Lance exclaimed looking at his sister’s ring in the dim moonlight. 

 

“We both got matched here, and it seemed like the right time,” she said softly, “But we didn't want to start planning anything until you came back.”

 

Lance grinned. “Well looks like I have two weddings to attend then, huh?”

 

Veronica quirked an eyebrow. “Two?”

 

Lance leaned forward, suddenly determined. “Ronnie, I need your help with something, but we gotta leave like right now.”

 

His sister’s eyes shot open in confusion. “Wait what? Hold on--are we going to a wedding right now or like-?”

 

“No dummy,” he laughed shrugging on his jacket and grabbing her hand, “I’ll explain on the way, just follow me  _ quietly _ .”

 

The two inched down the stairs, taking care to skip the creaky second to last step as they’d done in childhood before heading through the living room.

 

“So remember my hero, Takashi Shirogane, famed pilot, hottest man alive, and also fellow paladin I told you about earlier?” Lance whispered as they made their way to the door. “Yeah he’s like sorta sleeping in the guest room right now.”

 

“What the--holy shit, really?!” Lance peered back to see Veronica sputtering. 

 

“Yep!”

 

They quietly opened the front door and stepped onto the porch, shutting it silently behind them with perfected practice. 

 

“And you and I are sort of on our way to go reunite his ex-fiancé  with him,” Lance spoke quietly as they descended the rain soaked porch steps. 

 

Veronica halted. “Wait, WHAT?!”

 

Lance rolled his eyes and grabbed his sister’s wrist, marching them forward. “I said I’d explain, just keep it moving Ronnie, jeez!”

 

Lance launched into the tragedy that was Shiro’s unfinished love story as the two siblings descended down the the worn path.

 

“Okay,” Veronica said shaking her head. “This sounds good and all, but how are we getting back to the States? Which is where I’m assuming he is?”

 

Lance smiled knowingly before gesturing forward. “With Red of course.”

 

He watched with giddy satisfaction as Veronica tore her eyes from his face to take in the sheer magnificence that was the enormous mecha lion humming softly in the night. 

 

They drew nearer and Red, sensing Lance’s presence, rumbled softly in greeting before lowering his head to accommodate them.

 

“Ronnie, meet Red. Red, this is my oldest sister, Ronnie.”

 

Veronica was struck dumb.

 

“That’s….a big ass cat,” she said breathlessly. 

 

Lance laughed. “As much as I am living for how speechless you are, we gotta go.”

 

Veronica shook her head incredulously and followed Lance through Red’s gaping maw and into the glowing cockpit. 

 

Lance adjusted the controls as his sister reverently trailed her finger over the blinking console. 

 

“This is incredible,” she looked at Lance, “You know how to fly this thing?”

 

“Ronnie, I’ve fought alien imperialists in this thing, so yeah,” he replied cocksure.

 

She huffed a laugh. “My baby brother, ever so humble.”

 

Lance smiled before turning back around, hands clenched around the controls. 

 

“Hold on tight, Red flies fast.”

 

Veronica grasped his shoulder, forcing his gaze back. 

 

“You sure you know where you’re going?”

 

Lance’s eyes flashed as he reached down and unfolded the paper tucked into his pocket.

 

“Don’t worry. I know just where he lives.”

 

* * *

 

When Lance burst back into the house, the sun had only just begun to rise, but sure enough, Shiro and his mother were speaking softly over warm coffee. To say that he completely shattered their shared peace with his excitable flailing would be an understatement. 

 

“Shiro!” Lance exhaled with bright eyes as he latched onto the older man’s arm, jostling it and spilling coffee onto the table. “My man, my dude, mi hermano-”

 

“Lance, chill,” Shiro laughed, setting his mug down so no further mess could be made. 

 

“Nope! No can do! Chill is nowhere in my vocabulary on this beautiful, sunlit and romantic morning that I am single handedly responsible for,” Lance continued unabashedly, “So get your old ass up and-”

 

“Leandro, language,” his mother said warningly despite smiling into her cup as she watched the exchange.

 

“Sorry mama! But Shiro, seriously get up, Veronica and I have something to show you outside.”

 

“Okay, okay, I’m getting up,” Shiro said good naturedly, quirking an eyebrow, “Do I need to close my eyes, too?”

 

“I didn’t even think of that, but yeah!” Lance grabbed Shiro’s hand and clapped it over the taller paladin’s eyes. “I’ll be your guide, dear leader,” he continued as he placed a hand on Shiro’s shoulder and lead him out of the kitchen. 

 

“Lance, I’m not the biggest fan of surprises, you know, given that I spent over a year being surprised by my opponents whenever I stepped into Zarkon’s gladiator ring.”

 

Lance halted, blanching. “Oh fuck, I’m sorry, I wasn’t even thinking-”

 

He cut himself off once he heard the low chortles of laughter coming from the black paladin. 

 

Lance rolled his eyes, pushing them through the living room and towards the front porch. “Jesus you’re literally the worst-”

 

“Hey, I saw the opportunity and I took it, can you blame a guy?”

 

“Yes!” Lance sputtered incredulously, pushing them onto the warm porch. “Yes I can blame a guy! Why would you ever joke about nearly dying as an imprisoned gladiator in outer space?!”

 

“Because of reactions exactly like this if I’m being honest.” 

 

“I’m---No one has the brain capacity to comprehend your twisted sense of humor, Shiro.”

 

“I’m almost positive that’s not true.” Shiro replied, smirking as the two steadily descended down the front steps.

 

“No, he’s right Takashi. I can tell you from personal experience that your humor surpasses the human spectrum of patience.”

 

Shiro tripped over the last step, forcing Lance to shoot his arm out and steady the taller man. Lance watched with barely contained excitement as Shiro slowly lifted his now trembling hand from his face. 

 

His breath hitched.

 

“Adam?”

 

Adam, bathed in the soft glow of the rising sun, smiled heartrendingly soft at the sound of his name. 

 

“It’s been a while, huh?”

 

In the next moment, two things happened: a choked sob found its way to the top of Shiro’s throat, and then both men rushed forward, colliding in mere seconds into a tight embrace that seemed to knock the breath from both of them. 

 

Lance clapped a hand over his mouth, equal parts excited and moved, barely registering his sister’s sudden presence beside him. 

 

He felt Veronica’s hand on his elbow. “You did a really good thing here, Leo,” she said smiling at the scene before them. 

 

Lance beamed, watching the two men slowly pull apart and incredulously drink in the sight of one another. 

 

Adam reached up and traced a gentle hand over Shiro’s scar before cupping his cheek.

 

“I have so many questions” he said chuckling as his cheeks grew wetter each second. “Most pressing: why do you have white hair?”

 

“Really?” Shiro said, raising an eyebrow, “Not the lack of arm or anything..?”

 

Adam scrunched his eyebrows together in thought. “Yeah I guess that’s concerning too, but the hair….you had a look, darling...”

 

Shiro laughed softly, before speaking. “Adam, I’m….I’m so sorry. I left you, alone…..made you think I cared more about space than us and I don’t know to make up for all our lost time--”

 

“Takashi, I love you.” Adam said firmly cutting him off. “I don’t care that you left, okay? Don’t apologize to me for wanting to fulfill your dreams." 

 

Adam's voice caught, and Shiro turned his head to press a kiss to the hand on his cheek.  “When you went missing, I didn’t care about any of that, I just prayed they were wrong.” He took in a shaky breath. “That you’d come home to me.”

 

Shiro leaned forward and pressed his forehead against the other man. “I thought of you everyday out there. I fought so I could get back to you,” he smiled lovingly, “And I'm so stupidly happy that the universe wanted that too.”

 

Adam let out a choked laugh and pressed forward, capturing the black paladin’s lips with his own. 

 

Lance looked away, eyes welled and heart hammering as he turned to face his teary eyed older sister. 

 

“We should give them some space,” he said quietly, before adding, “Um, can you and the sibs meet me at the beach?”

 

Veronica tilted her head. “Like...now?”

 

“Yeah, I’ll be there, just grab them and meet me there as soon as you can, okay? It’s.. important.”

 

Veronica nodded and turned to go inside, with Lance following behind.

 

He darted through the house, to the back porch door and down the steps before breaking into a jog. 

 

Before long, the grass gave way to the sandy shores of the coastline, the crash of the ocean now far more present.

 

He stopped short of the lapping waves, letting his eyes take in the glittering horizon where the sea met the sky and closed his eyes, breathing in.

 

Seeing Shiro and Adam so honestly in love had reminded him that there were some truths he still wanted-needed-to confide in the people that mattered to him most. He sank into the ground, bare feet caked in wet sand and seashells, and waited.

 

Before long, he heard the porch door open and shut, and the sounds of footsteps muffled in the sand. Suddenly an arm snaked through his, and he turned his head to see Rhea sit beside him, resting her auburn head against his shoulder. 

 

“Morning hermano,” she said yawning, “What’s up?”

 

“Yeah Leo,” Marco said sitting on his other side, followed shortly by Luis and then Veronica, “What’s so important that we had to get dragged out of bed this early?”

 

Lance took a moment to gaze at each of his sibling’s faces before looking back out at the horizon.

 

“Being in space for the past year really hammered home how much I love you guys,” he started earnestly. He felt Rhea lift her head from his shoulder to peer at her twin curiously, but Lance kept his eyes trained ahead. 

 

“There’s been a lot of hard times out there, moments I’ve felt so alone and scared and the only thing that really kept me from spiraling were the memories of home.”

 

“I’ve realized how important family is. The found family I had in space and you guys,” he felt himself smile, “My family here on Earth.”

 

He heart felt as if it had slowly migrated into his throat as he pressed on.

 

“And...I learned a lot about myself over the year, and am still learning about myself it seems because I, uh, actually recently realized something I think I’ve known for a while.”

 

Lance’s mouth felt dry as he took a shaky breath in. Almost immediately, he felt Marco’s warm hand clasp his on one side while Rhea reached down to clasp his other, the two graciously anchoring his flighty nerves enough for him to continue.

 

“I’m bisexual,” he said in an exhale. 

 

There was a momentary beat of silence where Lance was unsure if the roar he heard in his head was the rapid beat of his own heart or the ocean before them, before his siblings launched themselves into action. 

 

In mere seconds, Lance was smothered by the joyous and unnecessarily loud responses as his brothers and sisters encased him in a pile of sibling affection. 

 

“I can’t believe you’ve finally joined the superior species Leo, I’m so over the moon--”

 

“Ronnie shut up! Anyways Leo, I’m so glad you felt comfortable enough to be able to tell us-”

 

“Marco’s right, we’re so happy and proud of the young man you’ve become-”

 

“Oh my god, hermano you’re bi and you’re still single? That’s like a whole new level of tragic-”

 

Lance laughed airily, almost overwhelmed at the positive response, before his siblings relented a touch and allowed him back up, brushing the sand off his curly head. 

 

“Thanks for that guys,” he laughed, peering around at their glowing faces, “I’m not sure why I felt like I might have thrown up a second ago, but I’m glad I told you all. I feel….more honest with myself.”

 

Veronica smiled, leaning forward and placing a steadying hand on his knee. “No matter how safe you may be, coming out is scary Leo. It’s okay to have felt nervous, even around us. Remember how jittery I was the night before I came out?”

 

Lance nodded. “Yeah, I do.”

 

“Well then you know that I also knew I’d be okay, but telling other people something you yourself have only recently come to terms with is tough and it takes some real guts,” she replied surely.

 

“You’re a good kid, Leo,” Luis added kindly, “I’m proud to call you my brother.”

 

“Alright now,” Lance said waving a hand dismissively, while forcing tears back, “I don’t need to cry for the like eighth time this morning.”

 

“We love you man,” Marco said nudging his shoulder without his usual teasing.

 

Lance beamed. “I love you guys, too.”

 

They sat for a moment, all looking towards the ocean before the sound of muffled footsteps caught their attention. 

 

Before Lance could turn himself around, a strong arm forced him to his feet and into a bone crushing embrace.

 

“Thank you Lance,” Shiro said into his shoulder, before pulling back and peering into the blue paladins eyes with gratitude, “For everything.”

 

Lance smirked. “I mean I told you I’d get you back to your man, did I not?”

 

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked to find Adam’s handsome face smiling back at him. 

 

“Nevertheless, thank you from both of us,” he said kindly, “I didn’t know what to think seeing your giant ship parked in my front yard earlier this morning, but I’m so grateful you did.” 

 

“It was absolutely my pleasure,” Lance scratched the back of his head sheepishly, “Though I am sorry I crushed everything in your garden.”

 

“No worries,” Adam laughed before he stepped back and laced his fingers through Shiro’s, “Takashi and I have a lot of time to fix it back up.”

 

“Do you mind if we join you?” Shiro asked, gesturing to the group sitting in the sand.

 

“Of course not.”

 

As soon as they sat, Veronica leaned forward, stretching out a hand.

 

“Hey Shiro, I’m Veronica, Leandro’s oldest sister,” she said with a smile. 

 

Shiro took her hand. “And his accomplice in my reunion with Adam,” he said grinning. “It’s nice to meet you, and thank you.”

 

“Don’t worry about it, I’m glad I got to be a part of this epic love story,” she replied before nodding her head at Adam. 

 

“Oh, and uh Shiro?” Lance began, forcing the lump in his throat down, “I was just telling my siblings that I realized that I’m bisexual...so yeah,” he finished awkwardly.

 

Shiro smiled, clapping a strong hand on his shoulder. “Thank you for being able to tell me Lance. I’m sure you already heard this from your siblings, but I’m really proud of you.”

 

Lance felt his heart inflate and so he ducked his head before he could say or do anything embarrassing. “Thanks, man.”

 

“So hermano,” Rhea started, a disconcertingly neutral expression on her face, “I’m well aware that sexuality is something deeply personal, and a journey that takes a lot of self reflection and is different for everyone…”

 

Lance leaned forward, waiting for his twin sister to finish her thought.

 

“But….”

 

“Buuuut,” she said drawing out the word unnecessarily, “Was there, I don’t know…...anyone you met out there that maybe helped you along that journey of self discovery?”

 

Lance watched his sister’s lips quirk up as his cheeks started to warm.

 

“Maybe….a special boy…?”

 

Suddenly every pair of eyes fixated on Lance, who cursed his sudden inability to stop the furious blush from overtaking his features. 

 

“Oooooooh, Leandro’s gotta a lil’ crush on someone,” Marco teased poking Lance’s cheek as Lance swatted away his brother’s hand. 

 

“Ugh, leave me alone, you all are so immature,” he muttered looking anywhere but his siblings’ knowing smirks.

 

“Leoooo come on,” Rhea drawled tugging his arm, “Give me something here, I’ve had to live vicariously through Ronnie and Luis’s stale ass established relationships-”

 

“HEY!”

 

“---and I need a new romance to bug someone about so  _ spill _ ,” she jabbed his sides, “Who’s the lucky guy?”

 

Lance shook his head, feeling his cheeks only grow warmer with every prod. 

 

“Is it someone you met in space?” Luis said, before eyes widening, “Wait, holy crap, is he an alien??”

 

Lance’s lips twitched. “Uh….kinda?”

 

“Kinda? How can you kinda be an alien…??”

 

“Is the cabron someone on your team?” Marco interrupted, eyebrow raised.

 

“Um, well-” Lance began trying his best remain nonchalant despite his face’s probably very obvious tell.

 

“Oh my god, he totally is!”

 

“Okay let’s go through all the teammates he told us about last night,” Rhea said inquisitively drawing up her knees and scrunching her face in concentration. Lance looked pleadingly at Shiro, but only found a knowing expression on the older man’s face as he shrugged his shoulders unhelpfully.

 

His twin sister held up her fingers. 

 

“Okay so there’s Hunk, who we all know,” she whipped her head around to squint at her brother, “Is it Hunk?”

 

“What? No!” Lance paused for a moment before adding, “I mean now that I think about it, I probably for sure had a crush on Hunk at the Garrison, because like, how can you not?”

 

“Leo! Stop trying to change the subject!” his sister growled exasperatedly. “Okay next, hmmm, it can’t be Shiro because he’s taken and frankly, out of your league…”

 

“Gee thanks,” Lance muttered, cheeks burning as Adam roared with laughter. 

 

“What about that Corn guy? He was an alien right?” Luis suggested.

 

“Luis, his name is Coran and he’s like 10,000 and then some years old, and also practically my uncle so no,” Lance grimaced.

 

Rhea huffed a petulant sigh. “What the heck, there’s literally no one else you mentioned hermano-”

 

Veronica’s knowing gasp stopped Rhea’s train of thought cold. 

 

“Oh my god Leandro, is it that angry boy that you mentioned in your letters from your first two years at the Garrison?” Veronica said with honest to god revelation on her face. 

 

Rhea, Marco and Luis whipped towards him in almost comical synchrony before yelling, “KEITH?!!”

 

Lance sunk his face in his hands, mortified.

 

“Oh my god Leo,” Veronica laughed, “That’s literally so cute, I guess you two got over the rivalry after all, huh?”

 

Lance groaned, wishing--no praying--for the ground to swallow him whole.

 

“Wow Leo, if I’d known broody, pretty boys were your type I would’ve set you up with some friends of mine aaaages ago,” Marco chuckled. 

 

Lance lifted his head glaring at his giggling brothers and sisters. “I regret coming out, I regret every decision I’ve made that’s lead me to this moment in time--”

 

“Oh quit being such a baby, hermano, and please tell us what you’re gonna say to him when he gets here,” Rhea mused, slinging an arm over his shoulder.

 

Lance huffed. “How do you know I haven’t already said anything?” 

 

“Because I’m your twin, idiot, and if you’re anything like Veronica, it’s probably just been painful pining from both you fools for ages at this point,” she replied rolling her eyes. 

 

“Ugh, you have no idea,” Shiro said shaking his head.

 

Lance sputtered. “I-wha-SHIRO!”

 

Veronica, leaned forward, clearly intrigued. 

 

“Gay to fellow gay, how bad are we talking?” she said with a glint in her eye. 

 

“Like staring at each other with stars in their eyes, flirty teasing, painful to watch as an outsider pining kinda bad,” Shiro replied as Adam chuckled beside him. 

 

“Judas,” Lance mumbled under his breath. 

 

“C’mon Takashi, cut him some slack, you weren’t very smooth when we first started dating either,” Adam said scolding. 

 

Lance held out a hand. “Are we not gonna interrogate him about his awkward pining?”

 

“The man has a whole ass fiance and you’re still single man,” Marco snorted, “We know who we have to work with.”

 

“Ugh! I’m just….nervous okay? Like......I feel like my feelings are reciprocated but...I don't know….”

 

Shiro tilted his head. “Did you not hear what I said or..?”

 

“No I know, I just…” Lance sighed, running a hand through his sea salt curls, “We’ve been dancing around our feelings for so long, I’m just scared that he hasn’t made a move because maybe he doesn’t like me as much as I love him--”

 

“Oh Leo,” Veronica cooed, hands pressed over her heart while Luis whistled appreciatively. 

 

“Love, huh?” his brother asked.

 

Lance tested the word out in his head. Did he love Keith? 

 

He thought of the raven haired pilot;s sunset eyes, the way his presence simultaneously calmed and electrified him, the feeling of his calloused fingers clasped in his own, smiles bright in smoky rooms, the pull he’d felt to the red paladin ever since that fateful night in the desert and decided---yes.

 

He loved Keith.

 

“Yeah,” Lance let out softly, mouth quirked, “Love.”

 

“God, sign me up for the next war if it means finding someone to put that lovestruck of an expression on my face,” Rhea sighed.

 

Veronica leaned forward, determination in her eyes. “You said they’d be here in a few days right? That’s plenty of time to devise a foolproof, romantic confession, don't you think?”

 

“Count me in,” Shiro offered smirking.

 

“Guys that’s not necessary-”

 

“No no Leo, we are definitely helping you get your man,” Marco declared, before being immediately followed by a ravenous stomach growl. “Okay, we’re definitely helping you get your man, after we eat breakfast.”

 

They all laughed before slowly helping each other get to their feet, brushing the sand from their clothes as they made their way back to the house. 

 

Lance slung his arms around his sister’s waist, heart beating in anticipation of the coming days. 

 

‘I’m Leandro Valdes, I'm paladin of the Red Lion, I’m bisexual,’ he thought giddily to himself, ‘And I’m in love with Keith Kogane.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After moooonths I am finally wrapping this up! 
> 
> I just wanna thank all the readers that have stuck with this story, left me amazing comments, and have gently hounded my ass to get this out (I'm making heart eyes at my fic writer wife, Darcy, here); I love and cherish you all. 
> 
> What started out as a small fix it idea has turned into this almost 30K monstrosity of a character analysis of a character of color I hold very dear and one who was done so incredibly dirty by canon. I hope I made him and anyone else who found a piece of themselves in him proud.
> 
> This chapter was gonna be longer to finish up the story in one update, but I decided to chunk the last bit, the trademarked Klance confession, as a final sixth chapter/epilogue that will be coming out today or tomorrow (I promise that's not code for four months).
> 
> Few writer notes:
> 
> -I changed the location of Lance's hometown from Varadero to Habana bc after speaking to a latine friend of mine, I learned that Varadero was a super lazy cop out location for the creators to have picked for his hometown considering not a lot of Cubans live in this supes tourist-y area soooo yeah
> 
> -I had Lance come out to his siblings bc the first people I came out to were my siblings and I project onto Lance constantly (A lot of what he felt as he came out was drawn from my personal experience as well)
> 
> -Fuck Curtis, I only know Adam as Shiro's sole soulmate and husband to be
> 
> Follow me/talk to me on [tumblr](https://astroakira.tumblr.com/) and leave kudos/comments if you liked this!


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